pterosaur

[ 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.

Origin of pterosaur

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

Words nearby pterosaur

pteroma, pteron, pteropod, pteropodium, pteropterin, pterosaur, pteroylglutamic acid, pteroyltriglutamic acid, pterygial, pterygium, pterygo-

Example sentences from the Web for pterosaur

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

    The Story of Evolution |Joseph McCabe

British Dictionary definitions for pterosaur

pterosaur
/ (ˈtɛrəˌsɔː) /

noun

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

Scientific definitions for pterosaur

pterosaur
[ 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).