Dinosaur Definition

dīnə-sôr
dinosaurs
noun
Any of various extinct, mostly land-dwelling, four-limbed saurischian or ornithischian reptiles of the Mesozoic Era, including some c. 30 m (98.4 ft) long: the flesh-eaters usually walked on their hind limbs, the plant-eaters on all fours.
Webster's New World
Any large, extinct reptile of the Paleozoic or Mesozoic eras.
Webster's New World
A relic of the past.
American Heritage
Someone or something thought of as being old-fashioned, outmoded, resistant to change, etc.
Webster's New World
One that is hopelessly outmoded or unwieldy.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Dinosaur

Noun

Singular:
dinosaur
Plural:
dinosaurs

Origin of Dinosaur

  • New Latin Dīnosauria group name from Dīnosaurus former genus name Greek deinos monstrous Greek sauros lizard

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Ancient Greek δεινός (deinos, “terrible, awesome, mighty, fearfully great”) + σαῦρος (sauros, “lizard, reptile”).

    From Wiktionary

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