pelycosaur

American

[pel-i-kuh-sawr] / ˈpɛl ɪ kəˌsɔr /

noun

any of a group of large primitive reptiles belonging to the extinct order Pelycosauria, abundant in North America and Europe during the Permian Period, often having a tall spinal sail.

pelycosaur British

/ ˈpɛlɪkəʊˌsɔː /

noun

any extinct mammal-like reptile of the order Pelycosauria, of Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian times, from which the therapsids are thought to have evolved

"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

Etymology

Origin of pelycosaur

< New Latin Pelycosauria (1878), equivalent to Greek pelyk-, stem of pélyx wooden bowl, cup (taken as meaning pelvis, parallel to the New Latin sense of Latin pelvis ) + -o- -o- + saûr ( os ) -saur + New Latin -ia -ia; so named from the peculiar form of the ischium in such reptiles

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On a new pelycosaur from the lower Permian of Oklahoma, and the origin of the family Caseidae.

From Two New Pelycosaurs from the Lower Permian of Oklahoma by Fox, Richard C.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023