tyrannosaur

[ti-ran-uh-sawr, tahy-]

noun

1. a large, carnivorous dinosaur, Tyrannosaurus rex, from the Late Cretaceous Epoch of North America, that walked erect on its hind feet.

tyrannosaur

1. Any of various very large carnivorous dinosaurs of the genus Tyrannosaurus and related genera of the Cretaceous Period. Tyrannosaurs had very small forelimbs and a large head with sharp teeth. They walked on two legs, probably bent forward with their long tail stretched out as a counterbalance. Tyrannosaurs were theropods and probably distantly related to birds. The largest species, T. rex, grew to lengths of 14.3 m (47 ft) or more and may have been the largest land predator that ever lived.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tyrannosaur¹

< New Latin Tyrannosaurus (1905), equivalent to Greek tyranno- (combining form representing týrannos tyrant ) + saûros -saur

Example Sentences

A remarkably complete tyrannosaur skeleton has brought new clarity to one of paleontology's longest debates: whether Nanotyrannus was its own species or merely a young Tyrannosaurus rex.

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Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur - in the collection of a Mongolian museum - that they say "rewrites" the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs.

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It's the first time tyrannosaurs have been identified in sediments of this age and region.

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A new analysis of fossils believed to be juveniles of T. rex now shows they were adults of a small tyrannosaur, with narrower jaws, longer legs, and bigger arms than T. rex.

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It is only 23 inches long, but one tyrannosaur skull has been a bone of serious contention among paleontologists for decades.

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