ceratosaur

[ ser-uh-tuh-sawr ]

noun

1. a carnivorous, swift-running North American theropod dinosaur of the genus Ceratosaurus and closely related genera, of the Jurassic Period, having a large skull with a short horn between the nostrils and a bony knob in front of each eye, and reaching a length of 20 feet (6.1 meters).

Word History and Origins

Origin of ceratosaur¹

First recorded in 1884; from New Latin Ceratosaurus; cerato-, -saur

Example Sentences

The Ceratosaur, a seventeen-foot-long reptile, had hollow bones, and we find this combination of lightness and strength in several members of the group.

From Project Gutenberg