pterostigma

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noun

A spot on the outer wing of insects which is often thickened or coloured and so stands out from the rest; it is a group of specialized cells and has an effect on flight dynamics.

“The pterostigma is particularly noticeable in dragonflies.”

OriginAncient Greek πτερόν →
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Meanings

nounpterostigma (plural pterostigmata)

plural pterostigmata

  1. biologyA spot on the outer wing of insects which is often thickened or coloured and so stands out from the rest; it is a group of specialized cells and has an effect on flight dynamics.

    The pterostigma is particularly noticeable in dragonflies.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
stigma

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπτερόν
  2. Englishpterostigma

From ISV, formed from Ancient Greek πτερόν (pterón) + στίγμα (stígma), meaning "wing mark"; by surface analysis, ptero- + stigma.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pterostigma. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pterostigma

MLA

“pterostigma.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pterostigma. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pterostigma,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pterostigma.

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