alula en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (General-American) audio
- /ˈæljuːlə/
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-? Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs-der. Proto-Italic *aksis Latin axis Latin *axla Latin ala Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ulus Latin -ulabor. English -ula English alula From Latin ala (“wing”) + English -ula.
Meanings
-
A small projection of three or four feathers on the first digit of the wing on some birds.
On the wing, even the tiny “thumb feather” or alula can be seen.
2017 June 28, Hanneke Meijer, The Guardian:More recently, the upturned wing tips of jet aircraft mimic the "fingers" of birds' terminal primary feathers, and the slotted leading edges of aircraft wings are directly copied from the alula ("thumb" wings) in birds.
2021, Peter Cavanagh, “Preface”, in 100 Flying Birds: Photographing the Mechanics of Flight, →ISBN, page 10:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| alulas | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| alulae | Number=Plur | lexicographic |