saurischian

noun

saur·is·chi·an | \ (ˌ)sȯ-ˈri-skē-ən

Definition of saurischian

: any of an order (Saurischia) of herbivorous or carnivorous dinosaurs that have the pubis of the pelvis typically pointed downward and forward and that include the sauropods and theropods — compare ornithischian

Other Words from saurischian Example Sentences Learn More About saurischian

Examples of saurischian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the saurischians and ornithischians are the two main branches with more specific lineages arrayed along them. — Brian Switek, Smithsonian, 8 Dec. 2017 Theropods have traditionally been classed as saurischians. — Carolyn Gramling, Science | AAAS, 15 Aug. 2017 Still, succeeding generations of paleontologists came to the consensus that Dinosauria is made up of the saurischian and ornithischian branches. — Brian Switek, Scientific American Blog Network, 15 May 2017 In the old system, ornithischians were considered plant eaters while all the meat eating dinosaurs were saurischians, meaning that the trait of eating meat could have evolved after the two main branches of dinosaurs split. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 24 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'saurischian.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.