Meanings
plural isopipteses · alternative isepiptesis
- An isoline that joins points on a map where the individuals of a particular migratory species arrive at the same time each year.
The conclusion that the migration takes place at right angles to the isopipteses seemed justified; but, with regard to the direction of the bird's migration to be ascertained, could not possibly prove more exact than the premises themselves, the methods of inquiry, and the material.
1892, J. A. Palmén, “Report on the Migration of Birds”, in C. W. Shoemaker, transl., Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐπίπτησις“flying down upon”
- GermanIsepiptesen
- Englishisopiptesis
Refashioning of the earlier spelling isepiptesis, from German Isepiptesen used by Alexander von Middendorff in his 1855 work Die Isepiptesen Russlands, from iso- + Ancient Greek ἐπίπτησις (epíptēsis, “flying down upon”), from ἐπι- (epi-, “upon”) + πτῆσῐς (ptêsĭs, “flight”), from πέτομαι (pétomai, “fly”).
More words from German, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
isopiptesis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/isopiptesis
“isopiptesis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/isopiptesis. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “isopiptesis,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/isopiptesis.
Source: isopiptesis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.