chiropter

C3H4I1R1O1P3T1E1R1

noun

A member of the order Chiroptera, a bat

OriginFrench chiroptère ← Ancient Greek χείρ →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nounchiropter (plural chiropters)

plural chiropters

  1. A member of the order Chiroptera, a bat

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bat

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekχείρ“hand”
  2. Frenchchiroptère
  3. Englishchiropter

Coined by William Whewell in 1840 as an adaptation of Cuvier's coinage, French chiroptère, from Ancient Greek χείρ (kheír, “hand”) + πτερόν (pterón, “wing”), equivalent to chiro- + -pter.

More words from French, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian прилеп
  • прилеп (prilep)member of the order Chiroptera
Finnish lepakko
  • lepakkomember of the order Chiroptera
French chiroptère
  • chiroptèremember of the order Chiroptera
Greek χειρόπτερο
  • χειρόπτερο (cheiróptero)member of the order Chiroptera
Italian chirottero
  • chirotteromember of the order Chiroptera
Spanish quiróptero
  • quirópteromember of the order Chiroptera

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

petrichorperitrochprerhotic
Cite this entry
APA

chiropter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chiropter

MLA

“chiropter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chiropter. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chiropter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chiropter.

Source: chiropter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.