plesiosaur

[ plee-see-uh-sawr ]

noun

1. any marine reptile of the extinct genus Plesiosaurus, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having a small head, a long neck, four paddlelike limbs, and a short tail.

plesiosaur

/ ˈpliːsɪəˌsɔː /

noun

1. any of various extinct marine reptiles of the order Sauropterygia, esp any of the suborder Plesiosauria, of Jurassic and Cretaceous times, having a long neck, short tail, and paddle-like limbs See also ichthyosaur Compare dinosaur pterosaur

plesiosaur

/ plē′sē-ə-sôr′ /

1. Any of various large, extinct marine reptiles of the genus Plesiosaurus and related genera of the Mesozoic Era. Most plesiosaurs had a small head on a long neck and a broad body with paddlelike limbs; one group had a large head on a short neck. The exact relationship between plesiosaurs and other reptiles is not known.

Other Words From

• plesi·o·sauroid adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plesiosaur¹

< New Latin Plesiosaurus (1821), equivalent to Greek plēsí ( os ) near, close to + -o- -o- + saûros -saur; originally so named because of its conjectured nearness to modern reptiles, relative to the ichthyosaurs

Word History and Origins

Origin of plesiosaur¹

C19: from New Latin plēsiosaurus, from Greek plēsios near + sauros a lizard

Example Sentences

Meals would have included other reptiles such as its long-necked cousin, the plesiosaur, and the dolphin-like ichthyosaur - and fossil evidence reveals that it would have even feasted on other passing pliosaurs.

From BBC

Among the best is this long-extinct plesiosaur - Attenborosaurus conybeari.

From BBC

Pliosaurs were a type of plesiosaur with short necks and massive skulls.

From Science Daily

No evidence of a prehistoric marine reptile called a plesiosaur or a large fish such as a sturgeon were found.

From BBC

The vertebrae from a plesiosaur, a "sea creature" that became extinct 66 million years ago, was found in the north of Cambridge.

From BBC