Pterygota
|ter-ri-go-ta|
🇺🇸
/ˌtɛrɪˈɡoʊtə/
🇬🇧
/ˌtɛrɪˈɡəʊtə/
winged insects / winged ones
Etymology
'Pterygota' originates from New Latin, specifically the word 'Pterygota', where 'pteryg-' (from Greek 'pteryx') meant 'wing' and the suffix '-ota' was used as a collective/taxonomic ending.
'Pterygota' derives from Greek 'pteryx' ('wing') combined with a plural/collective suffix via New Latin taxonomic usage, and was adopted into modern scientific English as the name of the insect subclass 'Pterygota'.
Initially it literally meant 'the winged ones' (those with wings); over time it came to be used as the formal name for the taxonomic group of winged insects and their descendants.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a taxonomic subclass (Pterygota) of insects that includes those with wings and those that are secondarily wingless — in other words, the winged insects and their descendants.
The subclass Pterygota contains most of the insect orders familiar to us, including butterflies and beetles.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/30 10:37