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Glite Dictionary
order Chiroptera

order Chiroptera

1 8.1
A group of mammals that includes all bats, like fruit bats and insect-eating bats
  • noun
  • /ˈɔrdər kaɪˈrɒptərə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : orden Chiroptera
  • Scientists study the evolution of flight in mammals by examining fossils from the order Chiroptera.

Examples

  • Fruit bats belong to the suborder Megachiroptera within the order Chiroptera.

  • Many species in the order Chiroptera are vital for pollination.

  • The order Chiroptera includes over 1,400 species of bats worldwide.

  • The order Chiroptera includes over 1,400 species of bats.

  • The order Chiroptera contains over a thousand species of bats worldwide.

  • Scientists study the order Chiroptera to understand the ecological roles of bats.

  • Members of the order Chiroptera are vital for pollinating plants and dispersing seeds.

Synonyms

Chiroptera
vsorder Chiroptera
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A group of mammals that includes all bats, like fruit bats and insect-eating bats

is the scientific group name without listing suborders

Surface Forms

order Chiroptera singular
orders Chiroptera plural

Morphology

order + Chiroptera

The phrase simply combines the general noun 'order' (a taxonomic grouping) with the taxon name 'Chiroptera' (the bats), so the meaning — the taxonomic order comprising bats — is directly derivable from its constituents. Although 'Chiroptera' is a technical Latin name, the noun + taxon-name pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a learner who knows both words will understand the MWE.

Etymology

Order Chiroptera comes from old Greek words that mean hand and wing, because a bat's wing is skin stretched over long fingers like a hand. So the name became the scientific group for bats, which is why order Chiroptera means 'the order of all bats' today.