Wing
Wing (anatomy)
Wing (pronunciation: /wɪŋ/) is a term used in anatomy to describe a type of limb or appendage that allows for flight or gliding in various species of animals, particularly birds, bats, and insects.
Etymology
The term "wing" originates from the Old English word "winge", which means "a flap of a bird's wing".
Definition
A wing is a specialized appendage used for flight. In birds, it is a modified forelimb with feathers, while in bats, it is a membrane of skin stretched between elongated fingers. In insects, wings are outgrowths of the exoskeleton.
Related Terms
- Feather: The keratinous epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs.
- Flight: The process by which an object moves through an atmosphere without contact with the surface.
- Bird: A group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves, characterized by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton.
- Bat: A mammal of the order Chiroptera; a forelimb adapted as a wing makes them the only mammals capable of sustained flight.
- Insect: A class of invertebrates within the arthropod phylum that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body, three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and one pair of antennae.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Wing
- Wikipedia's article - Wing
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