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het·er·op·ter·an

(hĕt′ə-rŏptər-əs)

Any of numerous hemipteran insects of the suborder Heteroptera, characterized by forewings that have a thick leathery basal section and a membranous apical section, and including the stinkbugs and waterstriders.

[From New Latin Heteroptera, suborder name : HETERO- (from the two sections of their forewings ) + Greek pteron, wing; see -PTER.]

het′er·opter·an, het′er·opter·ous adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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