megathere

[ meg-uh-theer ]

noun

any of the huge, slothlike animals of the extinct genus Megatherium, or closely related genera, that lived from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene epochs.

Origin of megathere

1830–40; <New Latin Megatherium;see mega-, -there

Words Nearby megathere

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use megathere in a sentence

See the vast Mylodon, the Scelidothere, and the still more colossal megathere.
The Romance of Natural History, Second Series | Philip Henry Gosse
See the vast mylodon, the scelidothere, and the still more colossal megathere!
The Western World | W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for megathere

megathere

/ (ˈmɛɡəˌθɪə) /

noun

any of various gigantic extinct American sloths of the genus Megatherium and related genera, common in late Cenozoic times

Origin of megathere

C19: from New Latin megathērium, from mega- + -there, from Greek thērion wild beast

Derived forms of megathere

megatherian, adjective

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

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