Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
Definition of pterodactyl - 5 dictionary results

pter⋅o⋅dac⋅tyl

  [ter-uh-dak-til]
Use pterodactyl in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1820–30; < NL Pterodactylus genus name, equiv. to Gk pteró(n) wing + -daktylos -dactylous

Related forms:
pter⋅o⋅dac⋅tyl⋅ic, pter⋅o⋅dac⋅tyl⋅ous, adjective
pter⋅o⋅dac⋅tyl⋅id, adjective, noun
pter⋅o⋅dac⋅tyl⋅oid, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pterodactyl
pter·o·dac·tyl   (těr'ə-dāk'təl)   
n.  Any of various small, mostly tailless, extinct flying reptiles of the order Pterosauria that existed during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

[New Latin Pterodactylus, genus name : Greek pteron, feather, wing; see -pter + Greek daktulos, finger.]
pter'o·dac'ty·loid' adj., pter'o·dac'ty·lous adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Pterodactyl

Pter`o*dac"tyl\, n. [Gr. ? a wing + ? finger, toe: cf. F. pt['e]rodactyle.] (Paleon.) An extinct flying reptile; one of the Pterosauria. See Illustration in Appendix.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

pterodactyl 
1830, from Fr. ptérodactyle (1821), from the Mod.L. genus name, from Gk. pteron "wing" (from PIE base *pet- "fly;" see petition) + daktylos "finger" (see daktyl).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
pterodactyl   (těr'ə-dāk'təl)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see pterodactyl on Thesaurus | Reference