pteranodon 的詞源

始於白堊紀的已滅絕的飛行爬行動物, 1876年（馬什），其名爲 pterodactyl，源自希臘語詞根 anodous "無牙齒的"，由 an- "沒有，沒有"（見 an-（1））加上「牙齒」的分詞 odon（屬格詞形式爲 odontos ），來自 PIE 詞根 *dent- "牙齒"。

They are remarkable for their large size, some having a spread of wings not less than twenty-five feet. They differ widely from the Pterodactyls of the old world, especially in the absence of teeth, and hence have been placed by the writer in a new order, Pteranodontia, from the typical genus Pteranodon. [O.C. Marsh, "Principal Characters of American Pterodactyls," 1876]

它們的巨大身軀和不亞於25英尺的翅膀展開大小讓人驚異。它們在很多方面與舊世界的翼龍截然不同，特別是 absence of teeth，因此，作者將它們歸爲新的目 Pteranodontia，以典型的類 Pteranodon 來區別。