plesiosaur

noun

ple·​si·​o·​saur ˈplē-sē-ə-ˌsȯr How to pronounce plesiosaur (audio)
-zē-
: any of an order or suborder (Plesiosauria) of large carnivorous marine reptiles of the Mesozoic with dorsoventrally flattened bodies and limbs modified into flippers

Examples of plesiosaur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Everyone's favorite candidate for the identity of the Loch Ness monster, the plesiosaurs were a group of prehistoric marine reptiles that lived in oceans throughout the world between 203 and 66 million years ago. Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2025 And not everyone is convinced that the presence of scaly skin means plesiosaurs were hanging out on the seafloor. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025 That has long been one of paleontology’s enduring questions about the plesiosaur. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 6 Feb. 2025 During the Cretaceous, plesiosaurs grew longer necks and bodies and generally got much longer. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for plesiosaur 

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Greek plēsios close (akin to Greek pelas near) + sauros lizard

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of plesiosaur was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near plesiosaur

Cite this Entry

“Plesiosaur.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plesiosaur. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

plesiosaur

noun
ple·​sio·​saur
ˈplē-sē-ə-ˌsȯ(ə)r,
-zē-
: any of a group of large Mesozoic marine reptiles with flattened bodies and limbs changed into paddles

More from Merriam-Webster on plesiosaur

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