ˌärkēˈäptə(ˌ)riks noun
Etymology: New Latin, from archae- + -pteryx
1. capitalized : a genus of primitive reptilelike birds (subclass Archaeornithes) known from only a few specimens from the Upper Jurassic of Europe and having a long slender tail with feathers along each side
2. -es : a bird or fossil of the genus Archaeopteryx or of the subclass Archaeornithes