ptero

Ptero is a combining form derived from the Greek pteron, meaning wing. In scientific terminology it is used to denote wings or wing-like structures and appears in a range of fields, especially anatomy and paleontology.

In paleontology, pterosauria refers to the extinct order of flying reptiles that lived from the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous. They are not dinosaurs, though they coexisted with them. Pterosaurs possessed wings composed of a skin membrane stretched along an extended fourth finger, and they ranged from small to very large species. Well-known genera include Pterodactylus, Pteranodon, and Quetzalcoatlus. The term pterosaur is the preferred scientific label for the group, while pterodactyl is a common but informal name for certain species within the lineage.

Beyond ptero-, it functions as a general prefix used to form terms related to wings or wing-like structures in biology and anatomy. It is distinct from other similarly spelled roots in unrelated terms and is primarily encountered in scientific literature rather than common language.