velociraptor

noun

ve·​loc·​i·​rap·​tor və-ˈlä-sə-ˌrap-tər 

: any of a genus (Velociraptor) of theropod dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous having a long head with a flat snout and a large sickle-shaped claw on the second toe of each foot

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Danny Trejo meets his reptilian match in one overzealous velociraptor while supporting Marine Toys For Tots at the 90th Anniversary of the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov. 27. —People Staff, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2022

Her Richard is an entitled aristo rather than a calculating imp, a swaggering T. rex instead of a darting velociraptor. —Helen Shaw, Vulture, 11 July 2022

Danny Trejo meets his reptilian match in one overzealous velociraptor while supporting Marine Toys For Tots at the 90th Anniversary of the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov. 27. —People Staff, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2022

The velociraptor in the fossil below didn't fare too well either after eating a pterosaur, which was likely its last meal. —Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 9 Mar. 2012

Danny Trejo meets his reptilian match in one overzealous velociraptor while supporting Marine Toys For Tots at the 90th Anniversary of the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov. 27. —People Staff, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2022

Danny Trejo meets his reptilian match in one overzealous velociraptor while supporting Marine Toys For Tots at the 90th Anniversary of the Hollywood Christmas Parade on Nov. 27. —People Staff, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2022

Longtime fans know all about the tooltip with the hidden secondary punchline for each cartoon and Munroe's obsession with possible velociraptor attacks. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Sep. 2022

The velociraptor will have learned to open the door. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Latin vēlōc-, vēlōx "swift, rapid" + -i- -i- + raptor "plunderer, predator" — more at velocity, raptor

Note: The genus Velociraptor was introduced by the American paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857-1935) in "Three new Theropoda, Protoceratops zone, Central Mongolia," American Museum Novitates, No. 144 (November 7, 1924).

First Known Use

1924, in the meaning defined above