dinosaur means those animals of the clade Dinosauria that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct. Lexicurio rates it Distinctive — a strength score of 67 out of 100.
dinosaur is pronounced /ˈdaɪnəsɔː(ɹ)/.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek δεινός (deinós, “terrible, awesome, mighty, fearfully great”) + σαῦρος (saûros, “lizard, reptile”). Coined as Dinosaur(s) and Dinosauria by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1841/1842.
noun
- Those animals of the clade Dinosauria that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct.“Despite what some cartoons portray, no humans were around when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.”
- Any of the animals belonging to the clade Dinosauria, including its sole surviving lineage: Neornithes.“Many people love their backyard birds, but some of us may not realize that those feathery friends are also literally dinosaurs, in a biologically accurate sense of that word.”
- Any extinct reptile, not necessarily belonging to Dinosauria, that existed between about 230 million and 65 million years ago, as well as the stem-mammal Dimetrodon.“Pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, icthyosaurs — I don't know, they're all dinosaurs to me!”
- Someone or something that is very old or old-fashioned, especially someone who is not willing to change and adapt.“She may be a tough old bird, but it's a mistake to write her off as a dinosaur; you do so at your own risk.”
- Anything no longer in common use or practice.“I couldn't believe it when I saw the equipment that they were still using. Those machines were all dinosaurs, but they were busily cranking out production.”