ornithischian

American  

[awr-nuh-this-kee-uhn] / ˌɔr nəˈθɪs ki ən /

noun

1. any herbivorous dinosaur of the order Ornithischia, having a pelvis resembling that of a bird.

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adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Ornithischia.

ornithischian British  

/ ˌɔːnɪˈθɪskɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Ornithischia, an order of dinosaurs that included the ornithopods, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, and triceratops

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noun

1. any dinosaur of the order Ornithischia ; a bird-hipped dinosaur

ornithischian Scientific  

/ ôr′nə-thĭs′kē-ən /

1. 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.

2. Compare saurischian

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Etymology

Origin of ornithischian

1900–05; < New Latin Ornithischi ( a ) ( ornith- ornith- + -ischia < Greek ischíon ischium ) + -an

Example Sentences

Further research — and many more fossil samples — will be necessary to take the temperature of all the limbs on the ornithischian family tree.

From New York Times • May 28, 2022

The vertebrae don’t look like those of herrerasaurids – an archaic line of carnivorous dinosaurs present in Petrified Forest – and no one has found any definitive evidence of Triassic ornithischian dinosaurs.

From Scientific American • Jan. 7, 2018

Unlike Novas, they report today in Biology Letters, they conclude that Chilesaurus was probably a primitive ornithischian.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 15, 2017

Did similar evolutionary pressures drive the evolution of hornbill, cassowary and ornithischian casques and crests?

From Scientific American • Apr. 22, 2014

A selection of crested non-avialan theropod and ornithischian dinosaurs.

From Scientific American • Jan. 5, 2012