therapsid

[ thuh-rap-sid ]

noun

1. any of various groups of mammallike reptiles of the extinct order Therapsida, inhabiting all continents from mid-Permian to late Triassic times, some of which were probably warm-blooded and directly ancestral to mammals.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Therapsida.

therapsid

/ θəˈræpsɪd /

noun

1. any extinct reptile of the order Therapsida, of Permian to Triassic times: considered to be the ancestors of mammals

therapsid

/ thə-răp′sĭd /

1. Any of a group of amniotes that emerged in the Permian Period. Therapsids developed differentiated dentition, with nipping, biting, and crushing teeth, and (unlike diapsids) had forelimbs that were more greatly developed than hindlimbs. Therapsids include the so-called mammallike reptiles of the Permian and Triassic Periods, as well as mammals.
2. Compare anapsid

Word History and Origins

Origin of therapsid¹

< New Latin Therapsida (1905), equivalent to Greek thēr- (stem of thḗr wild beast) + apsid- (stem of apsís arch, vault, referring to the temporal arch of the skull) + New Latin -a neuter plural ending ( -a ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of therapsid¹

C20: from New Latin Therapsida, from Greek thēr beast + Latin apsis arch