dinosaur
dinosaur Lexical Profile
dinosaur Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A diverse group of extinct terrestrial reptiles of the Mesozoic era, characterized by an upright stance and ranging in size from small bird-like creatures to massive herbivores.
"Museums around the world display the massive fossilized skeletons of dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops."
A person, organization, or thing that is outdated, obsolete, or has failed to adapt to changing modern circumstances.
"The bureaucratic corporation was seen as a dinosaur in the rapidly evolving and agile tech industry."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern scientific classification, birds are considered living avian dinosaurs, though in everyday conversation the term almost exclusively refers to the extinct non-avian reptiles.
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1841 by English paleontologist Sir Richard Owen, from Ancient Greek 'deinos' (terrible, fearfully great) and 'sauros' (lizard or reptile).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.