dinosaur

American  

[dahy-nuh-sawr] / ˈdaɪ nəˌsɔr /

noun

1. any chiefly terrestrial, herbivorous or carnivorous reptile of the extinct orders Saurischia and Ornithischia, from the Mesozoic Era, certain species of which are the largest known land animals.

2. something that is unwieldy in size, anachronistically outmoded, or unable to adapt to change.

   The old steel mill was a dinosaur that cost the company millions to operate.

---

dinosaur British  

/ ˈdaɪnəˌsɔː /

noun

1. any extinct terrestrial reptile of the orders Saurischia and Ornithischia, many of which were of gigantic size and abundant in the Mesozoic era See also saurischian ornithischian Compare pterosaur plesiosaur

2. a person or thing that is considered to be out of date

---

Other Word Forms

• dinosaurian adjective

Etymology

Origin of dinosaur

< New Latin Dinosaurus (1841), originally a genus name. See dino-, -saur

Example Sentences

Lily’s room is no bigger than the closet I share with Camille, but she has adorable peach walls and dinosaur curtains, along with a tornado-just-wrecked-a-toy-store vibe.

From Literature

It is primarily known for its coal mines, and also the discovery of dinosaur fossils - with Tumbler Ridge marketing itself as the land of dinosaurs and waterfalls to attract tourists.

From BBC

At just about half a meter long, Foskeia ranks among the smallest known ornithopod dinosaurs.

From Science Daily

They relied on software commonly used to analyze modern ecosystems to map all possible feeding connections among dinosaurs, other animals, and plants.

From Science Daily

Some tracks may belong to meat eating predators, others to plant eating dinosaurs, and some have even raised questions about whether early bird species were involved.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• out-of-date
• outmoded