An obsolete or archaic term possibly referring to a bat or a hand-winged creature, derived from Greek roots meaning 'hand-wing.'
From Greek 'cheir' (hand) and 'pteron' (wing). This rare term predates modern zoological nomenclature and reflects how ancient naturalists imagined bat wings as hand-like structures.
Bats really do have 'hand-wings'—their wings are literally modified hands with skin stretched between elongated finger bones—so 'chiropter' was actually a scientifically accurate name before we settled on 'bat!'
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