comb. form of L. brevis ‘short,’ used as the first element of many modern scientific words: as Breviped a. [L. pes, ped- foot], having short feet (or legs); sb. Ornith. a short-legged bird. Brevipen sb. Ornith. [L. penna feather], a short-winged bird. Brevipennate a. short-winged. Brevirostrate a. [L. rostrum beak], having a short bill or beak.
1880. Libr. Univ. Knowl., III. 40. Brevipennes, or Brevipennates, a term for such birds as the ostrich, cassowary … and others having very short wings.
1852. Dana, Crust., I. 134. Carapax broad … brevirostrate.
