plesiosaur Hear it!

plesiosaur definition

plesio·saur (plē′sē ə sôr′)

noun

any of an extinct group (order Sauropterygia) of large water reptiles of the Mesozoic Era, characterized by a small head, long neck, short tail, and four paddlelike limbs

Etymology: < ModL Plesiosaurus < Gr plēsios, close, near, akin to pelos, near (prob. < IE base *pel-, to push > felt, L pellere, to drive) + -saur

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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