pterodactyl

[ ter-uh-dak-til ]

/ ˌtɛr əˈdæk tɪl /

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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.

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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, adjectivepter·o·dac·tyl·id, adjective, nounpter·o·dac·tyl·oid, adjective

Words nearby pterodactyl

pteridophyte, pteridosperm, pterion, ptero-, pterocarpous, pterodactyl, pteroma, pteron, pteropod, pteropodium, pteropterin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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|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|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 digitSee also pterosaur

Word Origin for 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.