How do you pronounce pterodactyl?

The recorded pronunciation is /ˌtɛɹ.əˈdæk.təl/.

pterodactyl

/ˌtɛɹ.əˈdæk.təl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.29 in modern English

Syllables: ptero-dactyl
IPA: /ˌtɛɹ.əˈdæk.təl/

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Meaning

noun

A pterosaur of the genus Pterodactylus.

Countable

noun

Any pterosaur.

Example Sentences

"He described also the iguanodon and the pterodactyl - two of the first of the wonders which they had encountered."
"Had a pterodactyl swooped down from those old-time crags, it would hardly have been out of place."
"Now let me tell you, Brisbane mossies in the sixties were as big as pterodactyls."

Etymology

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

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: ptérodactyle, πτερόν

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌtɛɹ.əˈdæk.təl/

Usage

Countable

Inflected Forms

pterodactyls (plural)

Derived Forms

pterodactylane pterodactylic pterodactyllike pterodactyloid

Phrases

dactylo-

Frequently Paired Words

dactylo- dactyly polydactyly syndactyly