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Definition of brontosaurus

brontosaurus

/ˌbrɑːn.təˈsɔːr.əs/
bron · to · sau · rus
Plural:brontosauruses
•
Adjective:brontosaurian
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brontosaurus Lexical Profile

brontosaurus Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A massive, herbivorous sauropod dinosaur of the Late Jurassic period, native to North America, characterized by a long neck, a long whip-like tail, and a relatively small head.

Synonyms
View all synonyms for brontosaurus

Word Nuance & Usage

For over a century, the brontosaurus was widely considered by scientists to be an invalid name for the Apatosaurus due to a 19th-century bone-mixing error, but a major 2015 study reinstated it as a distinct and valid genus.

• Rhymes for brontosaurus

• Nearby Words

bronchitis
bronco
brontosaur
brontosaurus
bronx
bronze
bronzed

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in 1879 by American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh, from Greek 'brontē' (thunder) and 'sauros' (lizard), literally meaning 'thunder lizard' due to its massive size.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Brontosaurus. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 6, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/brontosaurus
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