ornithischian

[ awr-nuh-this-kee-uhn ]

noun

1. any herbivorous dinosaur of the order Ornithischia, having a pelvis resembling that of a bird. Compare saurischian.

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Ornithischia.

ornithischian

/ ˌɔːnɪˈθɪskɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Ornithischia, an order of dinosaurs that included the ornithopods, stegosaurs, ankylosaurs, and triceratops

noun

1. any dinosaur of the order Ornithischia ; a bird-hipped dinosaur

ornithischian

/ ôr′nə-thĭs′kē-ən /

1. Any of various dinosaurs belonging to the group Ornithischia, one of the two main divisions of dinosaurs. Ornithischians had a pelvis similar to that of modern birds (although birds are not descended from them), in which part of the pubis pointed backwards and parallel to the ischium. They also had a special bone in front of the lower jaw (called the predentary bone ), and frequently had armor plating or bony outgrowths of the skull. Ornithischians comprise all the herbivorous dinosaurs except the sauropods, and include ankylosaurs, hadrosaurs, stegosaurs, and ceratopsians.
2. Compare saurischian

Word History and Origins

Origin of ornithischian¹

1900–05; < New Latin Ornithischi ( a ) ( ornith- ornith- + -ischia < Greek ischíon ischium ) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of ornithischian¹

C20: from ornitho- + Greek ischion hip joint

Example Sentences

Previous research has found traits linked to warm-bloodedness among ornithischians and theropods, with some known to have had feathers or proto-feathers, insulating internal heat.

From Science Daily

The team’s findings around another group of dinosaurs — the diverse superfamily of herbivores called ornithischians — were more surprising still.

From New York Times

Interestingly, herbivores such as sauropods and ornithischian dinosaurs are rare.

From The Guardian

These animals left 1 and ½-inch footprints with three toes, and were small quadrupedal herbivores that belonged to the ornithischian clade of dinosaurs, a group that includes much bigger superstars like Stegosaurus and Triceratops.

From New York Times

These were the ornithischians, which later included Stegosaurus and Triceratops; and the saurischians, which gave rise to huge, long-necked species such as Brachiosaurus, and theropods such as Tyrannosaurus rex and birds.

From Nature