pterosaur

American

[ter-uh-sawr] / ˈtɛr əˌsɔr /

noun

any flying reptile of the extinct order Pterosauria, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having the outside digit of the forelimb greatly elongated and supporting a wing membrane.

pterosaur British

/ ˈtɛrəˌsɔː /

noun

any extinct flying reptile of the order Pterosauria, of Jurassic and Cretaceous times: included the pterodactyls Compare dinosaur plesiosaur

"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

pterosaur Scientific

/ tĕr′ə-sôr′ /

Any of various extinct flying reptiles of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods with wings consisting of a flap of skin supported by an elongated fourth digit on each forelimb (rather than an elongated second digit as in birds). Some pterosaurs were unique among reptiles in being covered with hair. Pterosaurs had wingspans ranging from less than 0.3 m (1 ft) to close to 15.2 m (50 ft).

Etymology

Origin of pterosaur

1860–65; < New Latin Pterosauria; see ptero-, -saur

Compare meaning

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

pterosaur vs. pterodactyl

Vocabulary lists containing pterosaur

Paleontology: Dinosaurs - Middle School and High School

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Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

pterosaur

Details of the investigation, which relied on advanced imaging methods to examine the internal brain cavities of pterosaur fossils and received partial support from the National Science Foundation, appeared Nov. 26 in Current Biology.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 9, 2025

Scientists have discovered a new species of pterosaur – a flying reptile that soared above the dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2025

Some fossils are thought to represent previously undescribed species, including two additional pterosaur skulls and two small raptor dinosaurs.

From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2024

Almost 20 years later it has been identified as a pterosaur.

From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2024

The rarity of Middle Jurassic pterosaur fossils and their incompleteness has previously hampered attempts to understand early pterosaur evolution.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 5, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023