pterodactyl

[ ter-uh-dak-til ]

noun

any of a number of genera of flying reptiles of the extinct order Pterosauria, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having a highly reduced tail and teeth and a birdlike beak.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of pterodactyl

1820–30; <New Latin Pterodactylus genus name, equivalent to Greek pteró(n) wing + -daktylos-dactylous

Other words from pterodactyl

pter·o·dac·tyl·ic, pter·o·dac·tyl·ous, adjective
pter·o·dac·tyl·id, adjective, noun
pter·o·dac·tyl·oid, adjective

Words Nearby pterodactyl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pterodactyl in a sentence

I ponder the selection (pterodactyl, triceratops, etc) before settling on a T-Rex.
Macaulay Culkin’s Life After Fame | Ramin Setoodeh | June 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
At the bar, you can order $5 ptero-daiquiri shots—a sign advertises them with a cartoon pterodactyl and a “Rawwr!!!”
Macaulay Culkin’s Life After Fame | Ramin Setoodeh | June 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Before they could get any more bright ideas, I threw the switch and my plastic pterodactyl sailed in through the door.
The Repairman | Harry Harrison
You can't say too much for the picturesqueness of the pterodactyl—he was the triumph of his period.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow Paine
Over the waters flew another bird-like, fish-like, bat-like thing called the pterodactyl.
The Adventures of a Grain of Dust | Hallam Hawksworth

Twice in succession he refused a second help of pterodactyl at the tribal luncheon table.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, January 7, 1914 | Various
He looks like an intoxicated pterodactyl,” said Mr. Lonergan, who had some knowledge of prehistoric animals,—“only hairier.
Philo Gubb Correspondence-School Detective | Ellis Parker Butler

British Dictionary definitions for pterodactyl

pterodactyl

/ (ˌtɛrəˈdæktɪl) /

noun

any extinct flying reptile of the genus Pterodactylus and related genera, having membranous wings supported on an elongated fourth digit: See also pterosaur

Origin of pterodactyl

C19: from ptero- + Greek daktulos finger

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for pterodactyl

pterodactyl

[ tĕr′ə-dăk′təl ]

Any of various small, extinct flying reptiles (pterosaurs) of the genus Pterodactylus of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Pterodactyls had long, narrow jaws with sharp teeth, and a wingspan of 1 m (3.3 ft) or less.

Browse