bra·chyp·ter·ous (br?-k?p?t?r-?s)adj. Having short or rudimentary wings, as certain insects.[From Greek brakhupteros : brakhu-, brachy- + pteron, wing; see -pter.]bra·chyp?ter·ism (-t?-r?z??m) n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.brachypterous (bræ?k?pt?r?s) adj (Zoology) having very short or incompletely developed wings: brachypterous insects. bra?chypterism nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014bra?chyp?ter?ous (br??k?p t?r ?s) adj. having short wings. [1835?45] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.