dinosaur

[dahy-nuh-sawr]

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

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 a person or thing that is considered to be out of date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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dinosaur¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dinosaur¹

C19: from New Latin dinosaurus, from Greek deinos fearful + sauros lizard

Example Sentences

There I was, dribbling basketballs like a Globetrotter, diving through inter-dimensional portals, riding on the back of a galloping dinosaur in an explosive train heist.

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Ichthyosaurs are classified as marine reptiles, not dinosaurs, because they spent their lives in the water.

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Outside are nature trails, a “cretaceous” garden and a playground with a pterosaur-themed structure and a sandbox concealing replica dinosaur bones.

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The park, which remains open for business as usual while a new owner is sought, has 36 rides and activities along with more than large-scale 90 dinosaurs - some fibreglass, some animatronic.

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As we spoke a large inflatable dinosaur loomed over our heads, part of a bouncy castle erected for the ANO rally.

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Related Words

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• out-of-date 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