phytosaur

[ fahy-tuh-sawr ]

noun

1. any armored, semiaquatic reptile of the extinct order Phytosauria, of the Mesozoic Era, resembling the crocodile but unrelated, having the nostrils high on the snout and with well-developed hind limbs suggestive of bipedal ancestors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phytosaur¹

< New Latin Phytosauria ( phyto-, -saur, -ia )