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pterosaur

[ ter-uh-sawr ]

noun

  1. 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

/ ˈtɛrəˌsɔː /

noun

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


pterosaur

/ tĕrə-sôr′ /

  1. 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).


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Word History and Origins

Origin of pterosaur1

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

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Example Sentences

The last, and perhaps the most interesting, of the doomed monsters of the Mesozoic was the Pterosaur, or "flying reptile."

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pteropodium-pterous