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pa·ta·gi·um

(pə-tājē-əm)

n. pl. pa·ta·gi·a (-jē-ə)

1. A thin membrane extending between the body and a limb to form a wing or winglike extension, as in bats and flying squirrels.

2. An expandable membranous fold of skin between the wing and body of a bird.

[Latin patagium, gold edging on a woman's tunic, perhaps from Greek *patageion, from patagos, clatter, of imitative origin .]

pa·tagi·al (-jē-əl) 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:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

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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