— pterodactylic, pterodactylous , adj. — pterodactylid , adj. , n. — pterodactyloid , adj.
/ter'euh dak"til/ , n.
any of a number of genera of flying reptiles of the extinct order Pterosauria, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having a highly reduced tail and teeth and a birdlike beak.
[ 1820-30; Pterodactylus genus name, equiv. to Gk pteró ( n ) wing + -daktylos -DACTYLOUS ]