saurian

[sawr-ee-uh n]

adjective

belonging or pertaining to the Sauria, a group of reptiles originally including the lizards, crocodiles, and several extinct forms but now technically restricted to the lizards.

resembling a lizard.

noun

a saurian animal, as a dinosaur or lizard.

Nearby words

Origin of saurian

1800–10; < New Latin Sauri(a) an order of reptiles + -an; see -saur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for saurian

The bullet darted into the nearer eye and ripped through what little brain the saurian possessed.
Up the Forked River|Edward Sylvester Ellis
Cuvier was the first to detect the truth, and to prove, from its organisation, that the animal was a Saurian.
The World Before the Deluge|Louis Figuier
They are principally of the crocodile, and saurian (or lizard) families.
The Mosaic History of the Creation of the World|Thomas Wood
A few bubbles came up as a saurian closed its jaws upon him, and a red tinge rose to the surface of the river.
Journeys and Experiences in Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile|Henry Stephens

His arms, hampered by sleeves pulled far down over the hands, winnowed the air like saurian flippers, wagging in vain resistance.
Local Color|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for saurian

saurian

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a lizard

of, relating to, or belonging to the Sauria, a former suborder of reptiles (now called Lacertilia), which included the lizards

noun

a former name for lizard

Word Origin for saurian

C15: from New Latin Sauria, from Greek sauros

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

Word Origin and History for saurian

saurian

reptile of the order Sauria, 1819, from Modern Latin sauria "the order of reptiles," from Greek sauros "lizard" (see -saurus). Sauropod is 1891, from Modern Latin sauropoda (O.C. Marsh, 1884), second element from Greek pous "foot" (see foot (n.)).

Science definitions for saurian

saurian

[sôr′ē-ən]

A lizard or similar reptile.