dinosaur

di·no·saur

noun \ˈdī-nə-ˌsȯr\

Definition of DINOSAUR

1

: any of a group (Dinosauria) of extinct often very large chiefly terrestrial carnivorous or herbivorous reptiles of the Mesozoic era

2

: any of various large extinct reptiles (as ichthyosaurs) other than the true dinosaurs

3

: one that is impractically large, out-of-date, or obsolete

— di·no·sau·ri·an \ˌdī-nə-ˈsȯr-ē-ən\ adjective

— di·no·sau·ric \-ˈsȯr-ik\ adjective

Examples of DINOSAUR

1. The old factory is now a rusting dinosaur.
2. The character she plays is a dinosaur—a former beauty queen who is living in the past.

Origin of DINOSAUR

New Latin Dinosaurus, genus name, from Greek deinos terrifying + sauros lizard — more at dire

First Known Use: 1841

Related to DINOSAUR

Synonyms

has–been, relic

Antonyms

diminutive, dwarf, half-pint, midget, mite, peewee, pygmy (also pigmy), runt, shrimp

Related Words

dodo, fogy (also fogey), fossil, old-timer; fuddy-duddy, mossback, stick-in-the-mud, stodge [British], troglodyte; throwback

Near Antonyms

comer, rising star, up-and-comer

Rhymes with DINOSAUR

albacore, allosaur, alongshore, anaphor, anymore, archosaur, at death's door, at one's door, Bangalore, bargain for, Barrymore, canker sore, carnivore, carnosaur, close the door, Coimbatore, come in for, commodore, comprador, consignor, corridor, cuspidor, devisor, door-to-door, double door, Ecuador, either-or, Eleanor, elector, endospore, evermore, except for, forest floor, franchisor, from the floor, furthermore, general store, go in for, guarantor, Gwalior, hackamore, hadrosaur, hellebore, herbivore, heretofore, humidor, in line for, Koko Nor, komondor, Labrador, licensor, Lipitor, louis d'or, madrepore, Mangalore, man-of-war, manticore, matador, meteor, micropore, Minotaur, mirador, more and more, nevermore, not long for, omnivore, open-door, out-of-door, package store, parador, petit four, picador, pinafore, piscivore, pompadour, Pompadour, predator, promisor, pterosaur, saddle sore, sagamore, Salvador, semaphore, servitor, standard score, stand up for, stegosaur, stevedore, stick up for, superstore, sycamore, take the floor, theretofore, to die for, troubadour, tug-of-war, two-by-four, uncalled-for, underscore, unlooked-for, vavasor, warrantor

dinosaur

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Skeletons of an ornithischian dinosaur (Stegosaurus) and a saurischian dinosaur …—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Any of the extinct reptiles that were the dominant land animals during most of the Mesozoic Era (251–65 million years ago). The various species appeared at different times, and not all overlapped. The shape of the teeth reveal whether a given dinosaur was a carnivore or an herbivore. Dinosaurs are classified as either ornithischians or saurischians, based on pelvic girdle structure. Most had a long tail, which they held straight out, apparently to maintain balance. Most, if not all, were egg layers. Some were probably warm-blooded. Dinosaur fossils have been found on every continent, including Antarctica. Most types of dinosaurs flourished until late in the Cretaceous Period (65 million years ago), then disappeared within the next million years. Two theories for the cause of this mass extinction following some 140 million years of existence are that volcanism and mountain-building cycles altered the habitat and changed the climate or that one or more asteroids hit Earth, resulting in immense dust clouds that blocked sunlight for several years. Birds and crocodiles are thought to be living descendants of the dinosaurs. See also carnosaur; sauropod.