apteral
- adjective
- /ˈæptərəl/
- Specialized
:
aptero
- Many ants are apteral workers with no wings.
Examples
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The researchers observed several apteral beetles in the sample area.
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Some parasitic wasps exhibit an apteral form as adults.
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Look at that apteral insect crawling on the leaf!
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The apteral species of the insect is often found in humid environments.
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Many ants are apteral workers that lack wings.
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Some parasitic wasps are apteral when they reach adulthood.
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The researchers identified several apteral beetles during their field study.
Synonyms
7
3.9
A bird or insect that cannot fly, such as a penguin
2
3.5
Not having parts that let birds or insects fly
An insect with no wings
Antonyms
How Winged
Surface Forms
Morphology
apteral = apterous (semi-transparent) = a + pter + al
Built from the negative prefix a- + combining form pter (wing) + the adjective-forming suffix -al; the Greek combining form 'pter' is not familiar to most learners, so the structure is only partly transparent.
Etymology
Apteral comes from the Greek parts a- meaning 'not' and pteron meaning 'wing', the same pter you see in helicopter. So, for insects, apteral simply means 'without wings', which helps you remember wingless workers or beetles.