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Definition of pterylosis in English:

pterylosis

Pronunciation /ˌtɛrɪˈləʊsɪs/

noun

Ornithology

  • The arrangement or disposition of the feathers of a bird, especially where this occurs in distinct tracts (pterylae); an instance of this.

Origin

Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Thomas Huxley (1825–1895), biologist and science educationist. From pteryla or its etymon post-classical Latin pteryla + -osis, after German Federnstellung, literally ‘position of the feathers’.