creodont

[ kree-uh-dont ]

noun
  1. any of a diverse group of extinct predatory mammals, from the Paleocene to Pleistocene epochs, that constituted the suborder Creodonta, of the order Carnivora, developing along evolutionary lines somewhat parallel to those of the ancestors of modern carnivores and typically having a stocky, doglike body and a long, low skull.

Origin of creodont

1
<New Latin Creodonta (1875) name of the group, equivalent to cre- (<Greek kréas flesh) + -odont--odont + -a neuter plural ending

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British Dictionary definitions for creodont

creodont

/ (ˈkriːəˌdɒnt) /


noun
  1. any of a group of extinct Tertiary mammals some of which are thought to have been the ancestors of modern carnivores: order Carnivora

Origin of creodont

1
C19: from New Latin Creodonta, from Greek kreas flesh + odōn tooth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for creodont

creodont

[ krēə-dŏnt′ ]


  1. Any of various extinct carnivorous mammals of the order Creodonta of the Paleocene to the Pliocene Epochs. Creodonts had long, low skulls with crests to which chewing muscles were attached. They were the dominant carnivorous mammals for millions of years, and were once believed to be ancestral to modern carnivores.

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