pipistrelle

noun

pip·​is·​trelle ˌpi-pə-ˈstrel How to pronounce pipistrelle (audio)
: any of a genus (Pipistrellus of the family Vespertilionidae) of bats typically appearing in early evening and exhibiting erratic flight
especially : one (P. pipistrellus) of Eurasia and northern Africa

Examples of pipistrelle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Yossi Yovel and his colleagues at Tel Aviv University studied a bat called Bodenheimer's pipistrelle, or Hypsugo bodenheimeri. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2015 The travel route of the Nathusius' pipistrelle – which needs a suitable habitat as a migratory species – could also be impacted by wind turbines, both onshore and offshore. Fox News, 10 Aug. 2021 Bat experts in Russia and the UK are working together to understand more about the bat's voyage, noting that the range expansion of the Nathusius' pipistrelle is linked to climate change. Fox News, 10 Aug. 2021 The record was topped by only one other bat in Europe, a Nathusius' pipistrelle, which migrated 1,381 miles from Latvia to Spain in 2019. Fox News, 10 Aug. 2021 Currie and her team measured metabolism and echolocation intensity for nine Nathusius's pipistrelle bats, captured from urban areas in Berlin and released after laboratory tests. Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2020 There was also George, the loneliest tree snail, whose demise meant the end of his entire species, and a little bat called the Christmas Island pipistrelle. National Geographic, 26 Dec. 2019 Just in the past decade, two mammal species have gone extinct: a bat known as the Christmas Island pipistrelle and a rat, the Bramble Cay melomys. Elizabeth Kolbert, National Geographic, 25 Sep. 2019 The library’s bats are small, often no more than 1 1/2 inches long, from a species called pipistrelle. Patricia Kowsmann, WSJ, 17 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pipistrelle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Italian pipistrello bat, alteration of vipistrello, ultimately from Latin vespertilion-, vespertilio — more at vespertilian

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pipistrelle was in 1771

Dictionary Entries Near pipistrelle

Cite this Entry

“Pipistrelle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pipistrelle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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