Added 9 October 2026
haltere
/ˈhæltɪə/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about haltere at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Either of the rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight.
Origin
From Ancient Greek ἁλτῆρες (haltêres, “weights held in the hand to give an impetus in leaping”). Note that in the original Greek, there seems to have been no singular for ἁλτῆρες (haltêres), and some authorities maintain that halteres is a plurale tantum, but in English entomological usage, haltere sometimes appears as a back-formation. Sometimes the singular halter is used instead, but this may lead to confusion with other, unrelated meanings of halter.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)