pygostyle
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From English pygo- + Ancient Greek στῦλος (stûlos, “column”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]pygostyle (plural pygostyles)
- The plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds, formed from fused vertebrae.
- Synonyms: parson's nose, ploughshare bone, pope's nose, sultan's nose
- 1971, Anthony Burgess, M/F, Penguin, published 2004, page 158:
- Aderyn the Bird Queen sat down; her pygostyle engaged a hard wooden bottom.