tertial

English

Etymology

From Latin tertius (“third”); the tertial feathers are the third row of feathers.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɝʃl̩/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɜːʃl̩/
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)ʃəl

Noun

tertial (plural tertials)

(ornithology) Any flight feather attached to the humerus (upper arm) of a bird.
- 1923, Arthur Cleveland Bent, Life Histories of North American Birds: Wild Fowl, page 76:
  He continues — "There was the same rear up, with the head bent down, followed by an upjerk of the hind parts; the long sickle-shaped tertials, so noticeable in this species, seemed little if at all expanded, […]

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