Tertial
/ˈtɝʃl̩/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any flight feather attached to the humerus (upper arm) of a bird.
"He continues — "There was the same rear up, with the head bent down, followed by an upjerk of the hind parts; the long sickle-shaped tertials, so noticeable in this species, seemed little if at all expanded, […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"He continues — "There was the same rear up, with the head bent down, followed by an upjerk of the hind parts; the long sickle-shaped tertials, so noticeable in this species, seemed little if at all expanded, […]"
Etymology
From Latin tertius (“third”); the tertial feathers are the third row of feathers. By surface analysis, terti- + -al.