pygostyle

[ pahy-guh-stahyl ]

noun

, Ornithology.

1. the bone at the posterior end of the spinal column in birds, formed by the fusion of several caudal vertebrae.

Other Words From

• pygo·styled adjective
• pygo·stylous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pygostyle¹

1870–75; < Greek pȳgo- (combining form representing pȳgḗ rump) + stŷlos pillar

Example Sentences

The tail's anatomy enabled the scientists to rule out that it belonged to a bird because it was long and flexible and lacked a pygostyle, fused vertebrae that in birds support the tail feathers.

From Reuters

"We can be sure of the source because the vertebrae are not fused into a rod or pygostyle as in modern birds and their closest relatives," he explained.

From BBC

Turning a pygostyle back into a long tail requires learning how the pygostyle evolved in the first place.

From Washington Post

Instead, they have a complicated appendage called a pygostyle, with short, fused vertebrae and connected muscles that allow them to control and fan out their tail feathers.

From Washington Post

Rump′-post, the share bone or pygostyle of a bird; Rump′-steak, steak cut from the thigh near the rump.—The rump, the remnant of the Long Parliament, after Col.

From Project Gutenberg