ornithischian
[awr-nuh-this-kee-uh n]
- any herbivorous dinosaur of the order Ornithischia, having a pelvis resembling that of a bird.Compare saurischian.
Show More
- belonging or pertaining to the Ornithischia.
Show More
Origin of ornithischian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
ornithischian
- of, relating to, or belonging to the Ornithischia, an order of dinosaurs that included the ornithopods, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, and triceratops
Show More
- any dinosaur of the order Ornithischia; a bird-hipped dinosaur
Show More
Word Origin
C20: from ornitho- + Greek ischion hip joint
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
ornithischian
[ôr′nə-thĭs′kē-ən]
- Any of various dinosaurs belonging to the group Ornithischia, one of the two main divisions of dinosaurs. Ornithischians had a pelvis similar to that of modern birds (although birds are not descended from them), in which part of the pubis pointed backwards and parallel to the ischium. They also had a special bone in front of the lower jaw (called the predentary bone), and frequently had armor plating or bony outgrowths of the skull. Ornithischians comprise all the herbivorous dinosaurs except the sauropods, and include ankylosaurs, hadrosaurs, stegosaurs, and ceratopsians. Compare saurischian.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.