Pterodactyl

//ˌtɛɹəˈdæktl̩// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A pterosaur of the genus Pterodactylus. countable
  2. 2
    extinct flying reptile wordnet
  3. 3
    Any pterosaur. broadly, proscribed

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

Synonyms

All synonyms
animaldinosaurmammoth

Example

More examples

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

Etymology

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

More for "pterodactyl"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.