dimetrodon

[ dahy-me-truh-don ]

noun

1. an extinct carnivorous mammallike reptile, of the genus Dimetrodon, dominant in North America during the Permian Period, up to 10 feet (3.1 meters long and usually bearing spinal sails.

dimetrodon

/ dī-mĕt′rə-dŏn′ /

1. An extinct, carnivorous reptile of the genus Dimetrodon of the Permian Period having a body similar to an alligator's but with a tall, curved sail on its back. The sail had a thick network of blood vessels and may have been used to regulate the animal's body temperature. The dimetrodon belonged to the synapsids, an early group of reptiles that was ancestral to mammals.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dimetrodon¹

From New Latin (1878), equivalent to Greek dímetr(os) “having two measures” ( dimeter ) + odṓn “tooth”; apparently so named in reference to the large size of the anterior incisors relative to the other teeth

Example Sentences

The adductor musculature of the lower jaw in Dimetrodon was divided into lateral and medial groups (Figs. 5, 6).

From Project Gutenberg

Thrinaxodon represents an advance beyond Dimetrodon in several respects.

From Project Gutenberg

A similar origin suggests itself for the corresponding muscle, the second major adductor mass, in Dimetrodon.

From Project Gutenberg

The dentition of Dimetrodon further substantiates the movement of the jaw in a simple up and down direction.

From Project Gutenberg

Watson believed that the jaw of Dimetrodon was capable of anteroposterior sliding.

From Project Gutenberg