Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Pygostyle
Py′go-style
,Noun.
[Gr.
πυγή
the rump + [GREEK] a pillar.] (Anat.)
The plate of bone which forms the posterior end of the vertebral column in most birds; the plowshare bone; the vomer. It is formed by the union of a number of the last caudal vertebræ, and supports the uropigium.
Definition 2024
pygostyle
pygostyle
English
Noun
pygostyle (plural pygostyles)
- The plate supporting the tail-feathers in birds, formed from fused vertebrae.
- 1971, Anthony Burgess, M/F, Penguin (2004), page 158:
- Aderyn the Bird Queen sat down; her pygostyle engaged a hard wooden bottom.
- 1971, Anthony Burgess, M/F, Penguin (2004), page 158:
Synonyms
- parson’s nose
- ploughshare bone
- pope’s nose
- sultan’s nose