Chiroptera
1
9.9
- noun
- /kaɪˈrɒptərə/
- Specialized
:
Quiroptera
- It makes me a wildlife zoologist with a speciality in Chiroptera.
- Order Chiroptera
Examples
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A Chiroptera flitting about in December?
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Wildlife zoology with a speciality in Chiroptera.
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That fellow over there is a common bat of the order of Chiroptera.
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"List of unique abilities: Hmm... transformation into chiroptera species."
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All bats belong to the order of Chiroptera, which includes both fruit bats and insect-eating bats.
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Members of the order Chiroptera are unique mammals that can fly due to their specially adapted wings.
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The order Chiroptera comprises various species of bats that play essential roles in ecosystems.
Synonyms
1
8.1
A group of mammals that includes all bats, like fruit bats and insect-eating bats
Compounds
- Specialized
1
8.1
A group of mammals that includes all bats, like fruit bats and insect-eating bats
Surface Forms
Morphology
Chiroptera = chiro + ptera
A learned scientific compound built from Greek combining forms (chiro- and -ptera) that are not productive standalone English morphemes, so the structure and meaning are not obvious to average learners.
Etymology
Chiroptera comes from Greek parts cheir 'hand' and pteron 'wing'. So it literally means 'hand-wing' and is a helpful image because a bat's wing is like a hand with very long fingers covered in skin.