spurious wing

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

spurious wing
    n 1: tuft of small stiff feathers on the first digit of a bird's
         wing [syn: {bastard wing}, {alula}, {spurious wing}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Spurious \Spu"ri*ous\ (sp[=u]"r[i^]*[u^]s), a. [L. spurius.]
   1. Not proceeding from the true source, or from the source
      pretended; not genuine; counterfeit; false; adulterate.
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   2. Not legitimate; bastard; as, spurious issue. "Her spurious
      firstborn." --Milton.
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   {Spurious primary}, or {Spurious quill} (Zool.), the first,
      or outer, primary quill when rudimentary or much reduced
      in size, as in certain singing birds.

   {Spurious wing} (Zool.), the bastard wing, or alula.
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   Syn: Counterfeit; false; adulterate; supposititious;
        fictitious; bastard.
        [1913 Webster] -- {Spu"ri*ous*ly}, adv. --
        {Spu"ri*ous*ness}, n.
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