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Webster 1913 Edition


Uropygial

Uˊro-pyg′i-al

,
Adj.
[See
Uropygium
.]
(Anat.)
Of or pertaining to the uropygium, or prominence at the base of the tail feathers, in birds.
Uropygial gland
,
a peculiar sebaceous gland at the base of the tail feathers in most birds. It secretes an oily fluid which is spread over the feathers by preening.

Definition 2024


uropygial

uropygial

English

Adjective

uropygial (not comparable)

  1. (ornithology) Of or pertaining to the uropygium; on the rump.
    • 1971: ...[Aderyn the Bird Queen], on whose face a kind of agitated oil or sweat was spreading thinly, an uropygial secretion. — Anthony Burgess, M/F (Penguin 2004, p. 158)

Derived terms