pteryla

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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.
References in periodicals archive ?
Feathers were missing from the ventral, femoral, crural, and caudal spinal pterylae. A mobile, pendulous, subcutaneous mass measuring 16 mm X 22 mm was present in the left caudal coelomic area and had a stalklike structure and 2 lateral vessels (Fig 1).
At three days the eye slits had formed and the pterylae were visible as dark patches.
In most cases, feathers arise along specific tracts called pterylae. For a few species, including penguins and ostriches, feathers occur randomly over the body.