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 of pterodactyl
1820-30; < New LatinPterodactylus genus name, equivalent to Greekpteró(n) wing + -daktylos-dactylous
Related forms
pterodactylic, pterodactylous, adjective
pterodactylid, adjective, noun
pterodactyloid, adjective
Examples from the web for pterodactyl
The evolutionary life of the nation-state will turn out to be far shorter than that of the pterodactyl.
The same could be said for bat wings, bird wings, and pterodactyl wings.
Its large form was unmistakable, reminiscent of a pterodactyl.
It's almost prehistoric, something you imagine a pterodactyl would make.
British Dictionary definitions for pterodactyl
pterodactyl
/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
Word Origin
C19: from ptero- + Greek daktulos finger
Word Origin and History for pterodactyl
n.
extinct flying reptile, 1830, from French ptérodactyle (1821), from Modern Latin genus name Pterodactylus, from Greek pteron "wing" (see ptero-) + daktylos "finger" (see dactyl).
pterodactyl in Science
pterodactyl
(těr'ə-dāk'təl)
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.