deinonychus

[ dahy-non-i-kuhs ]

noun

1. a small bipedal dinosaur, genus Deinonychus, of the Cretaceous Period, characterized by having a large, curved claw on each hind foot.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deinonychus¹

< New Latin (1969) < Greek dein ( ós ) fearful, terrible ( dinosaur ) + -onychos -clawed, adj. derivative of ónyx claw, nail; onyx

Example Sentences

This finding helps show that the raptor group included not only terrestrial killing machines like deinonychus and potentially flying members like microraptor, but also swimmers.

From New York Times