pterodactyl

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Any pterosaur.

   He described also the iguanodon and the pterodactyl - two of the first of the wonders which they had encountered.

2. 2
   noun

   extinct flying reptile

3. 3
   noun

   A pterosaur of the genus Pterodactylus.

Simplified etymology

Pterodactyl combines Greek pteron, ‘wing’, with daktulos, ‘finger’. The flying reptile’s name dates from the early 19th century.

From French ptérodactyle, a term coined by Cuvier from Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing”) + δάκτυλος (dáktulos, “finger”). By surface analysis, ptero- + -dactyl.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary