smilodon
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of smilodon
From New Latin (1842), from Greek smī́l(ē) “knife” + -odōn “-toothed, having teeth” ( see -odont)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Smilodon, the catty predator whose ancestors emerged in the early Miocene, will not smile on us again.
From Salon • Feb. 17, 2025
Smilodon roamed widely across North America and into Central America, going extinct about 10,000 years ago.
From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024
And if history is any indication, they may get a lot bigger—the largest feline ever was the South American saber-toothed cat, Smilodon populator, which weighed nearly half a ton!
From Slate • Oct. 23, 2023
Smilodon outnumber herbivores at the La Brea pits, leading scientists to speculate that they hunted in packs.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 3, 2021
When most people think of saber-tooth cats, they think of North America’s Smilodon.
From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
