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

Etymology

Origin of pterodactyl

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

Compare meaning

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

• pterosaur vs. pterodactyl

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

He gamely wears striped socks and short shorts; she sports Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and clings to her character’s emotional truth like it’s a bucking pterodactyl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

Refocusing his anger in fashioning the pterodactyl was a therapeutic process of transference through which he allows the sculpture to own the anger instead of the anger owning him.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

Pterosaurs like the iconic pterodactyl are closely related to birds and other dinosaurs, and as such new discoveries about them regularly excited fans of science.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2023

A blue heron stood perched on an old bleached tire, and when she saw us she spread her wings and flew away, more pterodactyl than bird.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

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

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

They fight for their lives with pterodactyls, see iguanodons at play and watch the tragedies of life among the gigantic dinosaurs.

From New York Times ● Oct. 21, 2021

Europeans named the birds "frigate" for their resemblance to the swift warships. They look powerful, with their forked tails and long, slender wings; the shadows they cast on the sea surface could just as easily belong to a flock of pterodactyls.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 30, 2016

She could make out tiny little microdactyls, medium-sized minidactyls, and then the fully grown pterodactyls, all sailing back and forth, snapping at each other or whatever prey they could find, dancing across the darkness.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older