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Glite Dictionary
apterous

apterous

9.9
An insect with no wings
  • adjective
  • /ˈæptərəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aptero
  • The scientist identified the species as apterous due to its lack of visible wings.

Examples

  • The collection included both winged and apterous beetles for comparison.

  • Some ants have apterous workers while their queens possess wings.

  • The apterous insect crawled along the ground.

  • Some species of ants are apterous and do not fly.

  • The scientist identified the species as apterous due to its lack of visible wings.

  • Some species of ants are apterous and do not fly.

  • The apterous insect crawled along the ground.

Synonyms

wingless
vsapterous
2 3.5

Not having parts that let birds or insects fly

is used specifically for insects rather than any animal without wings
apteral
vsapterous
  • Specialized
9.9

An insect that has no wings

is the same meaning but uses a different adjective form
nullipennate
vsapterous
  • Specialized
9.9

With no feathers or wings, as in some animals

refers specifically to insects missing wings rather than absence of feathers

Antonyms

winged
31 3.9

With parts like feathers or thin flaps that help something fly

How Winged

winged
31 3.9
apterous
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

apterous positive

Morphology

apterous = pterous (opaque) = a + pter + ous

Although built from the privative 'a-' and the combining form 'pter-' plus '-ous', the Greek combining form 'pter-' and the rare adjective 'pterous' are not recognizable to average learners, so the meaning 'wingless' is not transparently derived.

Etymology

Apterous comes from Greek parts a- meaning 'without' and pteron meaning 'wing', the same root you see in pterodactyl. So apterous means 'without wings', which is why we use it for insects that lack wings.