Pterosaur
/ˈtɛr.ə.sɔːr/noun
An extinct flying reptile of the group Pterosauria that lived from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous Period.
Did you know?Unlike birds and bats, pterosaurs flew with a membrane of skin supported mainly by an enormously elongated fourth finger.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pet-
“To rush, fly, or move swiftly; the reconstructed root behind the wing-related Greek term.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
πτερόν (pterón)
“Wing or feather; literally the winged or flying part.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
σαῦρος (saûros)
“Lizard.”
1830s
Scientific Greek
Pterosauria
“The taxonomic group name formed from pterón, “wing,” and saûros, “lizard.””
19th Century
English
pterosaur
“A member of the extinct group of flying reptiles, commonly rendered literally as “wing-lizard.””
Modern English
English
pterosaur
“An extinct flying reptile, including forms such as Pteranodon and Rhamphorhynchus.”