deinonychus

[ dahy-non-i-kuhs ]

noun

1. a small bipedal dinosaur, genus Deinonychus, of the Cretaceous Period, characterized by having a large, curved claw on each hind foot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deinonychus¹

< New Latin (1969) < Greek dein ( ós ) fearful, terrible ( dinosaur ) + -onychos -clawed, adj. derivative of ónyx claw, nail; onyx