pterodactyl

[ ter-uh-dak-til ]

noun
  1. 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.

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Origin of pterodactyl

1
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

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British Dictionary definitions for pterodactyl

pterodactyl

/ (ˌtɛrəˈdæktɪl) /


noun
  1. 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

1
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-dăktəl ]


  1. 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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.