archosaur

[ ahr-kuh-sawr ]

noun

1. any reptile of the subclass Archosauria, including the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and crocodilians and characterized by two pairs of openings in the temporal region of the skull.

archosaur

/ är′kə-sôr′ /

1. Any of various mostly reptilian animals of the subclass Archosauria. Archosaurs are diapsids that began to evolve in the late Permian Period, and are characterized by skulls with long, narrow snouts and teeth set in sockets. Archosaurs include the extinct dinosaurs and pterosaurs and the modern crocodilians and birds.

Other Words From

• archo·sauri·an adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of archosaur¹

1965–70; < New Latin Archosaurus, taken as singular of Archosauria, equivalent to Greek archo-, combining form of archós ruler, chief + saûr ( os ) -saur + New Latin -ia -ia

Example Sentences

Crocodiles and birds share their heritage with dinosaurs, and together with pterosaurs they form a group known as archosaurs or "ruling reptiles," who date back to the Early Triassic.

From Science Daily

Beyond just dinosaurs, other large archosaur predators during the same era also had unusual socket shapes.

From Scientific American

But they would not be the first members of the broader family dinosaurs were members of, the archosaurs, to potentially make the switch.

From New York Times

In general, scientists thought body size remained similar among the first archosaurs - the larger reptile group that includes birds, crocodilians, non-avian dinosaurs, and pterosaurs - and the earliest ornithodirans.

From BBC

"They are close to the ancestral lineage of archosaurs — the group including birds, dinosaurs, crocodilians and pterosaurs," Butler told Live Science in an email.

From Fox News