pterosaur

noun

ptero·​saur ˈter-ə-ˌsȯr 

: any of an order (Pterosauria) of extinct flying reptiles existing from the Late Triassic throughout the Jurassic and most of the Cretaceous and having a featherless wing membrane extending from the side of the body along the arm to the end of the greatly elongated fourth digit

Examples of pterosaur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are currently more than 200 species of pterosaur known to science — some no bigger than a blue jay, others almost as tall as a giraffe. —Rosie McCall, Discover Magazine, 14 July 2025

The fossil site is also key for understanding the evolutionary origins of both turtles and pterosaurs, Kligman added. —Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 10 July 2025

Unusual bone bed reveals a vertebrate community with pterosaurs and turtles in equatorial Pangaea before the end-Triassic extinction. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

The animal is a combination of a raptor and pterosaur — the type of dinosaur pterodactyls descend from — and comes in at 16 feet long, 550 lbs. —Skyler Trepel, People.com, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Pterosauria, from Greek pteron wing + sauros lizard

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pterosaur

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

Kids Definition

pterosaur

noun

ptero·​saur ˈter-ə-ˌsȯ(ə)r 

: pterodactyl