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Added 9 October 2026

dinosaur

/ˈdaɪnəsɔː(ɹ)/ noun

In Latin: dinosaurus Coined: 1841, by Richard Owen Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about dinosaur at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Any of numerous extinct terrestrial reptiles of the Mesozoic era.

Origin

From Ancient Greek δεινός (deinós, “terrible, awesome, mighty, fearfully great”) + σαῦρος (saûros, “lizard, reptile”). Coined as Dinosaur(s) and Dinosauria by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1841/1842.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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