pygostyle en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpaɪɡəstaɪl/
Etymology
From English pygo- + Ancient Greek στῦλος (stûlos, “column”). By surface analysis, pygo- + -style.
Meanings
-
The plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds, formed from fused vertebrae.
Aderyn the Bird Queen sat down; her pygostyle engaged a hard wooden bottom.
1971, Anthony Burgess, M/F, Penguin, published 2004, page 158:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pygostyles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
parson's nose · pope's nose · ploughshare bone · sultan's nose
Translations (4)
ga pígistíl (the plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds) · es pigóstilo (the plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds) · fr pygostyle (the plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds) · de Pygostyl (the plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds)