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.

Origin of tyrannosaur

1
<New Latin Tyrannosaurus (1905), equivalent to Greek tyranno- (combining form representing týrannostyrant) + saûros-saur

Words that may be confused with tyrannosaur

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

Scientific definitions for tyrannosaur

tyrannosaur

[ tĭ-rănə-sôr′ ]


  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.

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