From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpterodactylpter‧o‧dac‧tyl /ˌterəˈdæktɪl $ -tl, -tɪl/ noun [countable] HBAa large flying animal that lived many millions of years ago
Examples from the Corpus
pterodactyl• We have no way of knowing whether any other animals now extinct - pterodactyls perhaps? - also evolved the technology independently.• Some like dragons with wings, others great birds like pterodactyls.• The Jet Ranger arced upwards, a big prehistoric pterodactyl lurching blindly in its death throes.Origin pterodactyl (1800-1900) Modern Latin Greek pteron “wing” + daktylos “finger” 