mosasaur

American  

[moh-suh-sawr] / ˈmoʊ səˌsɔr /

noun

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

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mosasaur British  

/ ˈməʊsəˌsɔː /

noun

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

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mosasaur Scientific  

/ mō′sə-sôr′ /

1. 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).

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Etymology

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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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mosasaur

When the fossils were originally found, scientists had far fewer mosasaur specimens available for comparison, making it difficult to determine exactly what kind of mosasaur the bones represented.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

Additional research will be needed to determine whether the specimen truly represents a new mosasaur species.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

Other famous mosasaur fossils previously identified as T. proriger are now being reassigned to T. rex.

From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026

The new mosasaur was larger, possessed finely serrated teeth rarely seen in mosasaurs, and came from a different place and time period.

From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026

And the mosasaurus—that was the biggest, meanest, toothiest, most unstoppable mosasaur there was.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

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