mosasaur

[ moh-suh-sawr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of several extinct carnivorous marine lizards from the Cretaceous Period, having the limbs modified into broad, webbed paddles.

mosasaur

/ ˈməʊsəˌsɔː; ˌməʊsəˈsɔːrəs /

noun

any of various extinct Cretaceous giant marine lizards of the genus Mosasaurus and related genera, typically having paddle-like limbs

mosasaur

/ mō′sə-sôr′ /

Any of various medium-sized to large extinct aquatic lizards of the family Mosasauridae of the Cretaceous Period, having modified limbs that served as paddles for swimming. Some species reached lengths of over 15 meters (50 feet).

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Word History and Origins

Origin of mosasaur¹

< New Latin Mosasaurus (1823) genus name, equivalent to Latin Mosa the Meuse river (where a species was first discovered) + New Latin -saurus -saur

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Word History and Origins

Origin of mosasaur¹

C18: from Latin Mosa the river Meuse (near which remains were first found) + -saur

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Example Sentences

The ocean ecosystem was thriving at the time, so there may have been dozens of mosasaur species in a single habitat, he says, and they weren’t done producing weird prototypes like Xenodens.

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