sphenodon

[ sfee-nuh-don, sfen-uh- ]

/ ˈsfi nəˌdɒn, ˈsfɛn ə- /

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noun

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Origin of sphenodon

1875–80; <New Latin: genus name (originally Sphaenodon), equivalent to Greek sphēn-sphen- + -odōn -toothed (see -odont)

Words nearby sphenodon

sphecid, sphen-, sphene, sphenic, spheno-, sphenodon, sphenogram, sphenography, sphenoid, sphenoid bone, sphenopsid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sphenodon in a sentence

This order includes the living Sphenodon (Hatteria) and various extinct forms.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The bone of the jaws in Sphenodon is so hard that when the teeth get worn away, it can act as a substitute.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The humerus is generally without distinct condyles, but they are well developed in the Theromorpha, the Lacertilia and Sphenodon.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
In the young Sphenodon the vomers bear teeth, as they do also in Proterosaurus.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

Anyhow, Sphenodon is the reptile which stands nearest to the main stem of our ancestry.
The Last Link|Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for sphenodon

sphenodon

/ (ˈsfiːnəˌdɒn) /

noun

the technical name for the tuatara

Word Origin for sphenodon

C19: from Greek sphēn a wedge + odōn a tooth

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