Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A small extinct vertebrate of the genus Archaeopteryx of the Jurassic Period, having feathered wings with claws and a long toothed snout. It has been classified variously as a prehistoric bird and as a theropod dinosaur.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Alternative spelling of archæopteryx.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun extinct primitive toothed bird of the Jurassic period having a long feathered tail and hollow bones; usually considered the most primitive of all birds

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin Archaeopteryx, genus name : archaeo– + Greek pterux, wing; see pet- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • So far, only eight specimens of the first creature classified as a bird, called archaeopteryx, have been found.

    The Source John Clayton Nils Jansma 2001

  • So far, only eight specimens of the first creature classified as a bird, called archaeopteryx, have been found.

    The Source John Clayton Nils Jansma 2001

  • He too agrees that the archaeopteryx is a perching bird, not a dinosaur like many others claim.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] 2010

  • He too agrees that the archaeopteryx is a perching bird, not a dinosaur like many others claim.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] 2010

  • He too agrees that the archaeopteryx is a perching bird, not a dinosaur like many others claim.

    CreationWiki - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • Maybe the successor to MMOs should be called "archaeopteryx", or simply "ryx".

    A Virtual World Winter? 2007

  • You do not simply learn about archaeopteryx, the famous 150 million-year-old reptile-bird dug up in Germany in 1861, but also learn that the quarry worker who found the fossil had a bad cough and traded his find for medical treatment to a doctor and amateur paleontologist, who in turn sold it to the British Museum.

    Flocking Together Jonathan Rosen 2011

  • What does the archaeopteryx fossil have in common with a Vegas showgirl?.

    Flocking Together Jonathan Rosen 2011

  • “Up yours, cueco,” the archaeopteryx said from his perch in one corner as it worried with its beak a Terra Novan olive held clasped in one claw.

    The Lensman's Children Fred Kiesche 2010

  • “Up yours, cueco,” the archaeopteryx said from his perch in one corner as it worried with its beak a Terra Novan olive held clasped in one claw.

    Archive 2010-03-01 Fred Kiesche 2010

Comments

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  • My spawn, after watching a "Nova" episode about feathered dinosaurs, wants to name a rock band "Four-Winged Dinosaur."

    March 25, 2008

  • Clever spawn. :-)

    *wondering whether c_b's spawn calls c_b her engenderer*

    March 25, 2008

  • *thinking spawn should start calling her engenderer*

    It's really just that I don't care to let the whole world know the gender of my offspring, that's all. But also, I really like the word spawn.

    March 25, 2008

  • "Ancient wing". Nice name, isn't it? Don't confuse with Archaeopteris, an extinct plant genus.

    March 25, 2008

  • Nice name for a boy.

    March 25, 2008

  • You don't call your spawn squid?

    March 25, 2008

  • Oops. Well, c_b, I think you might have mentioned said spawn's gender at one point, or else I assumed.

    Spawn is a good word, though. :-)

    March 26, 2008