therapsid

[ thuh-rap-sid ]

/ θəˈræp sɪd /

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noun

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

of or relating to the Therapsida.

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Origin of therapsid

<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 (see -a¹)

Words nearby therapsid

therapeutic cloning, therapeutic index, therapeutics, therapeutic virus, therapist, therapsid, therapy, therapy animal, Theravada, Theravadin, Raven, The

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

British Dictionary definitions for therapsid

therapsid

/ (θəˈræpsɪd) /

noun

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

Word Origin for therapsid

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

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

Scientific definitions for therapsid

therapsid

[ thə-răp′sĭd ]

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. Compare anapsid diapsid synapsid.