Meanings
plural pycnofibres · alternative pycnofiber
- biologyAny one of the hair-like filaments that comprised an integument of some pterosaurs.
Many [pterosaurs] had furry coats made up of hair-like filaments known as pycnofibres, which covered their bodies and parts of their wings.
2014, Albert J. DeBenedictis, Evolution or Creation?: A Comparison of the Arguments, 3rd edition, Xlibris, page 2541 more example
While the metal frames, styrofoam bulk and resin wings comprised the majority of the models, the details that would bring them to life – eyes, scars, pycnofibres, scales and colour – needed to be added before the models could really look vital.
2012, A. J. Veldmeijer, Mark Witton, Ilja Nieuwland, Pterosaurs: Flying Contemporaries of the Dinosaurs, Sidestone Press, page 119
Origin
From pycno- + fibre. Coined 2009 by Brazilian palaeontologist Alexander W. A. Kellner et al.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Portuguese picnofibra
- picnofibrahair-like filament of an integument of a pterosaur
Cite this entry
pycnofibre. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pycnofibre
“pycnofibre.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pycnofibre. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pycnofibre,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pycnofibre.
Source: pycnofibre on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.