alula

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al·u·la

 (ăl′yə-lə)
n. pl. al·u·lae (-lē′)
A small joint in the middle of a bird's wing, homologous with the thumb and bearing three or four quill-like feathers. Also called bastard wing.

[New Latin, diminutive of Latin āla, wing.]

al′u·lar (-lər) adj.
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.

alula

(ˈæljʊlə)
n, pl -lae (-liː)
(Zoology) another name for bastard wing
[C18: New Latin: a little wing, from Latin āla a wing]
ˈalular adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

al•u•la

(ˈæl yə lə)

n., pl. -lae (-ˌli)
1. Also called bastard wing , winglet. a group of small, relatively stiff feathers at the inner end of a bird's wing.
2. a membranous lobe at the base of each wing of a dipterous insect.
[1765–75; < New Latin, diminutive of Latin āla wing; see ala, -ule]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.alula - scalelike structure between the base of the wing and the halter of a two-winged fly
squama - a protective structure resembling a scale
fly - two-winged insects characterized by active flight
2.alula - tuft of small stiff feathers on the first digit of a bird's wingalula - tuft of small stiff feathers on the first digit of a bird's wing
feather, plumage, plume - the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
wing - a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
(5) The extensor process also receives insertions from the extensor metacarpal radialis tendon and the extensor longus alulae tendon.
Primaries cascade against secondaries, tertiaries, alulae, the heart-wound opens, uprooting the day, air jolted with electrons and speed and breeze boundless.