Definition of plesiosaur
:any of an order or suborder (Plesiosauria) of large carnivorous marine reptiles of the Mesozoic with dorsoventrally flattened bodies and limbs modified into flippers
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Recent Examples of plesiosaur from the Web
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Two days later, Donald Henderson and Darren Tanke flew over, expecting to find the bones of a marine reptile—a long-necked plesiosaur, perhaps, or a dolphin-like ichthyosaur, fossils of which are commonly found in Alberta.
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The plesiosaurs - a group of marine reptiles including the pliosaurs - were thought to feed primarily on large marine animals and fish.
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Pliosaurs are a kind of plesiosaur, characterised by a large, two-metre-long skull, enormous teeth and extremely powerful jaws, making them the top ocean predators during the dinosaur age.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plesiosaur.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of plesiosaur
ultimately from Greek plēsios close (akin to Greek pelas near) + sauros lizard
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See words that rhyme with plesiosaur Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about plesiosaur
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