‖ archæopteryx Palæont.
(ɑːkiːˈɒptərɪks)
[f. archæo- + πτέρυξ wing, bird.]
The oldest known fossil bird, having a long vertebrate tail.
| 1859 Darwin Orig. Spec. xi. (1878) 302 The wide interval between birds and reptiles..partially bridged over..by the ostrich and extinct Archeopteryx. 1879 Le Conte Elem. Geol. 436 The only bird bones found in the Jurassic are those of the Archæopteryx. |