Definitions
Wiktionary
- n. paleontology The hypothetical precursors of bird feathers, believed to have been grown by certain dinosaurs.
Etymologies
- proto- + feather (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The researchers screened over 4,000 ancient amber specimens collected near Grassy Lake, Alberta, and found eleven feather or protofeather specimens.”
“The researchers can't tell the age of the samples directly, but the earliest appears to be a stage I protofeather which contains "a dense forest of regularly spaces, flexible filaments.”
“We actually have the actual object.… we actually have this protofeather for the first time in the flesh.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘protofeather’.
-
In the News
johnstown flood tax, beige plague, antikythera mecha..., hyena-like vandals, sticker of shame, wombat leave, dutchy, grease infractions, thread count sett..., inherent vice, biobigotry, tank plinking and 98 more...
-
Words of Dinosaurology
This quickly got bigger and weirder than originally intended, so now it's housing terms that relate to the study of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. See also Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, Ichthy...
zygopophyses, ziphodont, plesiomorphic, cleidoic, endothermy, ectothermy, viviparous, vertebrae, cervical, dorsal, sacral, caudal and 628 more...
-
VanishedOne's Words
facipulator, fetiphobia, gules, boustrophedon, reverse boustroph..., unreal, ensiform, xiphoid, romhack, heritage, floccinaucinihili..., johnian and 1004 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for protofeather.
reesetee Great article--thanks for posting, VO.
I also like "dino-fuzz." :-) Mar 18, 2009
vanishedone B.B.C. News: 'He described the filaments seen on the body of the new dinosaur, which the team has named Tianyulong confuciusi, as "protofeathers" - the precursors of modern feathers.' Mar 18, 2009