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Webster's 1913 Dictionary

RECTRIX

Rec "trix (-trks ), n.; pl. Rectrices (-tr. Etym: [L., fem. of rector. ]

 

1. A governess; a rectoress.

 

2. (Zoöl.)

 

Defn: One of the quill feathers of the tail of a bird.

 

New American Oxford Dictionary

rectrix

rec trix |ˈrekˌtriks ˈrɛktrɪks | ▶noun ( pl. rectrices |-ˌtrəsēz | ) Ornithology any of the larger feathers in a bird's tail, used for steering in flight. Compare with remex. ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: from Latin, feminine singular of rector ‘ruler, governor ’ (see rector ).