therapsid

[ thuh-rap-sid ]

noun

1. any of various groups of mammallike reptiles of the extinct order Therapsida, inhabiting all continents from mid-Permian to late Triassic times, some of which were probably warm-blooded and directly ancestral to mammals.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Therapsida.

therapsid

/ θəˈræpsɪd /

noun

1. any extinct reptile of the order Therapsida, of Permian to Triassic times: considered to be the ancestors of mammals

therapsid

/ thə-răp′sĭd /

1. Any of a group of amniotes that emerged in the Permian Period. Therapsids developed differentiated dentition, with nipping, biting, and crushing teeth, and (unlike diapsids) had forelimbs that were more greatly developed than hindlimbs. Therapsids include the so-called mammallike reptiles of the Permian and Triassic Periods, as well as mammals.
2. Compare anapsid

Word History and Origins

Origin of therapsid¹

< New Latin Therapsida (1905), equivalent to Greek thēr- (stem of thḗr wild beast) + apsid- (stem of apsís arch, vault, referring to the temporal arch of the skull) + New Latin -a neuter plural ending ( -a ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of therapsid¹

C20: from New Latin Therapsida, from Greek thēr beast + Latin apsis arch

Example Sentences

The therapsids, creatures that just preceded mammals, had a fourth region, the pectoral.

From Science Magazine

And while the team has yet to uncover any therapsids, Angielczyk says, the explorations have turned up a variety of other odd fossils.

From National Geographic

Life is discovered on Mars in the shape of fish-lizard creatures called therapsids, although it is not plain how these beasts are able to subsist without any larger ecosystem.

From The Guardian

His current research involves studying how the major groups of therapsids are related, a topic that has received surprisingly little attention from paleontologists.

From New York Times

Moreover, if the formation is from the later parts of the Early Permian, it is roughly the age when we would expect early therapsids to be present.

From New York Times