mosasaur

[moh-suh-sawr]

noun

any of several extinct carnivorous marine lizards from the Cretaceous Period, having the limbs modified into broad, webbed paddles.

Origin of mosasaur

< New Latin Mosasaurus (1823) genus name, equivalent to Latin Mosa the Meuse river (where a species was first discovered) + New Latin -saurus -saur

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British Dictionary definitions for mosasaur

mosasaur

mosasaurus (ˌməʊsəˈsɔːrəs)

noun plural -saurs or -sauri (-ˈsɔːraɪ)

any of various extinct Cretaceous giant marine lizards of the genus Mosasaurus and related genera, typically having paddle-like limbs

Word Origin for mosasaur

C18: from Latin Mosa the river Meuse (near which remains were first found) + -saur

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mosasaur in Science

mosasaur

[mō′sə-sôr′]

Any of various medium-sized to large extinct aquatic lizards of the family Mosasauridae of the Cretaceous Period, having modified limbs that served as paddles for swimming. Some species reached lengths of over 15 meters (50 feet).