Etymo

pterodactyl

A name used for certain extinct flying reptiles.

Played on · Day 15 · word 1 of 5

A winged finger.

How pterodactyl reached English

oldest first

Simplified path. The puzzle showed the main steps; the full route is being checked.

Greek

  • pteron‘wing’
  • daktylos‘finger’

combined

  1. English

    pterodactyl

    ‘A name used for certain extinct flying reptiles.’

The story of pterodactyl

Pterodactyl comes from the scientific name Pterodactylus, made with Greek wing and finger components. The construction calls attention to the elongated finger associated with the wing, rather than simply saying flying lizard.

This view explains the components. They are pieces of one construction, not consecutive borrowing stages.

Source

Merriam-Webster · pterodactyl

Formation of the word.

Related

Helicopter hides the same pter- wing element after its spiral component.

More words from 20 September 2026

  1. orthographyThe conventions of spelling and writing a language.
  2. tattooA permanent design made in the skin.

Next: today’s words

Every day, everyone gets the same five words.

Play today’s words