ptero-, pter-, -ptera, -pteron, -pteryx, -ptery, -pterous

A group of wingless insects, of which the flea is a type.

1. Zoology, having no wings: "The biology class planned to visit the apterous section of the local zoo to learn about insects that have no wings."
2. Botany, having no winglike parts or extensions: "When the man planned the garden, he included many apterous plants which would not disseminate their seeds with wing like structures."

Having no wings; especially, the nocturnal wingless and so, flightless, bird of New Zealand having a long neck and a long slender bill, and stout legs: "Kiwis are the only surviving apteryx or representatives of the order Apterygiformes."

A fossil bird, of the Jurassic period, remarkable for having a long tapering tail of many vertebrae with feathers along each side, and jaws armed with teeth, with other reptilian characteristics.

1. A large order of insects that includes flies and mosquitoes, characterized by a single pair of membranous wings and a pair of club-shaped balancing organs.
2. Having two wings, as certain insects, or winglike appendages, as certain fruits and seeds; such as, the dipterous fruit of the maple.