protoavis

[ proh-toh-ey-vis ]

/ ˌproʊ toʊˈeɪ vɪs /

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noun

a fossil bird of the genus Protoavis, from the Triassic Period, having a birdlike, partly toothless jaw structure, a tail and hind legs resembling those of the dinosaur, and the hollow bones and keellike breast that are characteristic of modern birds: the oldest known avian type, preceding the archaeopteryx by an estimated 75 million years.

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Origin of protoavis

<New Latin (1986), equivalent to Greek proto-proto- + Latin avis bird

Words nearby protoavis

protistology, protium, proto-, protoactinium, Proto-Algonquian, protoavis, protocal, protochordate, protocol, protocols, protocontinent