pter·y·la
(tĕr′ə-lə)n. pl. pter·y·lae (-lē′, -lī′) An area on the skin of a bird from which feathers grow.
[New Latin : Greek pteron, wing, feather; see -pter + Greek hūlē, forest, matter.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
pteryla
(ˈtɛrɪlə) n,
pl -lae (
-ˌliː)
(Zoology) ornithol any of the tracts of skin that bear contour feathers, arranged in lines along the body of a bird
[C19: from New Latin, from Greek pteron feather + hulē wood, forest]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pter•y•la
(ˈtɛr ə lə)
n., pl. -lae (-ˌli, -ˌlaɪ) one of the spots on the skin of a bird from which a feather develops.
[1865–70; < New Latin < Greek pter(ón) feather + hylē wood, substance]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.