avian dinosaur
noun
plural avian dinosaurs
: a bird when considered as the survivor of a lineage of theropod dinosaurs
… thanks to a heap of lovely fossils, we now know that even the most fearsome of the tyrant dinosaurs were closely related to the avian dinosaurs—the birds that flit around our backyards today.—
Brian Switek
Brian SwitekHardly the embodiment of obsolescence, more than eighteen thousand species of avian dinosaurs flit, trod, and swim about our planet today.—Kenneth Lacovara
compare non-avian dinosaur
Kenneth LacovaraDictionary Entries Near avian dinosaur
Cite this Entry
“Avian dinosaur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avian%20dinosaur. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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