ceratopsian

[ser-uh-top-see-uhn]

noun

1. any of several four-footed, herbivorous dinosaurs of the suborder Ceratopsia, of the late Cretaceous Period, having an enlarged skull with a beak, a large perforated frill at the back, and, in some species, one or three horns.

ceratopsian

1. Any of various dinosaurs of the group Ceratopsia of the late Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Ceratopsians were ornithischians characterized by skulls with a parrotlike beak, a broad bony frill extending back over the neck, and often one or more horns. Most ceratopsians walked on all fours and grew to medium or large size. Triceratops was a ceratopsian.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceratopsian¹

First recorded in 1905–10; from New Latin Ceratopsi(a) ( cerat-, -opsis, -ia ) + -an

Example Sentences

Denver Fowler, a paleontologist at the Dickinson Museum in North Dakota who was not involved in the research, said that many ceratopsian species have been based on limited remains, leading to the potential for overinterpretation.

Read more on New York Times

They overshadowed all other dinosaurs, from the duck-billed hadrosaurs and the horned ceratopsians to the armored ankylosaurs and predatory tyrannosaurs.

Read more on Scientific American

“If it was just about predators and scavengers leaving skin behind on highly abundant herbivores then wouldn’t we expect to find lots of ceratopsian and sauropod fossils with skin on them too?” he said.

Read more on Scientific American

Bisticeratops was a horned, plant-eating dinosaur, or ceratopsian, from the same group as the famous triceratops, with an estimated body length of about 18 feet.

Read more on Washington Post

In fact, his favorite dinosaurs in the study had weirdly round eye sockets: vegetation-munching ceratopsians.

Read more on Scientific American