pterodactyl

American  

[ter-uh-dak-til] / ˌtɛr əˈdæk tɪl /

noun

• pterodactyls
  plural

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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pterodactyl British  

/ 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

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pterodactyl Scientific  

/ tĕr′ə-dăk′təl /

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pterodactylic
  adjective
• pterodactylid
  adjective
• pterodactyloid
  adjective
• pterodactylous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pterodactyls
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pterodactyl

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

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Compare meaning

How does pterodactyl compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• pterosaur vs. pterodactyl

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Explanation

Pretend that you are living during the Cretaceous period. Then look up at the sky. That fierce winged creature swooping down on you is a pterodactyl, a flying reptile. The word pterodactyl, pronounced "tear-uh-DACK-til," refers to a now-extinct group of winged reptiles known as pterosaurs. The word comes from the Latin Pterodactylus, the creatures' genus name, which originated in the Greek pteron, meaning “wing,” and daktulos, meaning “finger.” Although technically not a dinosaur, this flying reptile thrived during the same time period is as often seen among dinosaurs in movies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pterodactyl pterodactyls

The term pterodactyl is commonly used for the flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs, although these animals were not dinosaurs themselves.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

This pterodactyl sculpture mailbox is representative of art as healing modality and posits the pterodactyl as alternative to the rising phoenix — like, when a phoenix isn’t nearly gnarly enough to symbolize hardships overcome.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

“There’s nothing like seeing your bird fly out of sight into the Los Angeles metropolis … but returning, screaming like a pterodactyl dinosaur — to find me,” says Quach.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2023

A pterodactyl with some especially weird teeth was recently discovered in Southern Germany, shedding new light on the behaviors and diet of these ancient flying reptiles.

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2023

“Did we not talk about Mrs. Curie’s element? Mrs. Maxwell’s screech owl? Miss Anning’s pterodactyl? Her ichthyosaur?”

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Quaritch and the Sky People are all massively armed with ultramodern weapons, The Na’vi are armed with spears and arrows and ride to battle against flying gunships on Pandoran pterodactyls.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

Pterosaurs, more commonly called pterodactyls, were the first animals with bones to start flying, more than 200 million years ago, long before birds and bats took to the skies.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2022

A single asteroid robbed us of the chance to see pterodactyls soar across the sky, or to have them use us for food, depending on which way you look at it.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2022

Also in 2021, scientists cracked the mystery of how pterodactyls were able to swoop down and scoop up large prey without breaking their necks.

From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2022

But in this game, there was nothing except the two other pterodactyls, the ocean, and the distant volcano.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

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