mosasaur

[ moh-suh-sawr ]

noun

1. any of several extinct carnivorous marine lizards from the Cretaceous Period, having the limbs modified into broad, webbed paddles.

mosasaur

/ ˌməʊsəˈsɔːrəs; ˈməʊsəˌsɔː /

noun

1. any of various extinct Cretaceous giant marine lizards of the genus Mosasaurus and related genera, typically having paddle-like limbs

mosasaur

/ mō′sə-sôr′ /

1. Any of various medium-sized to large extinct aquatic lizards of the family Mosasauridae of the Cretaceous Period, having modified limbs that served as paddles for swimming. Some species reached lengths of over 15 meters (50 feet).

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosasaur¹

< New Latin Mosasaurus (1823) genus name, equivalent to Latin Mosa the Meuse river (where a species was first discovered) + New Latin -saurus -saur

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosasaur¹

C18: from Latin Mosa the river Meuse (near which remains were first found) + -saur

Example Sentences

The specimen is the most complete skeleton of a mosasaur ever found in Japan or the northwestern Pacific, Konishi said.

From Science Daily

Researchers have described a Japanese mosasaur the size of a great white shark that terrorized Pacific seas 72 million years ago.

From Science Daily

University of Cincinnati Associate Professor Takuya Konishi and his international co-authors described the mosasaur and placed it in a taxonomic context in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.

From Science Daily

The mosasaur was named for the place where it was found, Wakayama Prefecture.

From Science Daily

Megapterygius means "large winged" in keeping with the mosasaur's enormous flippers.

From Science Daily