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sphenodon

American

[sfee-nuh-don, sfen-uh-] / ˈsfi nəˌdɒn, ˈsfɛn ə- /

noun

tuatara.

sphenodon British

/ ˈsfiːnəˌdɒn /

noun

the technical name for the tuatara

"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 sphenodon

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

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