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di·no·saur

(dīnə-sôr′)

a. Any of various extinct terrestrial reptiles of the orders Saurischia and Ornithischia that existed during the Mesozoic Era, including both carnivores and herbivores and often reaching a gigantic size.

b. Any of various other large extinct reptiles, such as an ichthyosaur.

2. A relic of the past: "living dinosaurs of the world of vegetation" (John Olmsted).

3. One that is hopelessly outmoded or unwieldy: "The old, big-city teaching hospital is a dinosaur" (Peggy Breault).

[New Latin Dīnosauria, group name, from Dīnosaurus, former genus name : Greek deinos, monstrous + Greek sauros, lizard.]

di′no·sauri·an (-sôrē-ən) n. & adj.

di′no·sauric (-sôrĭk) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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