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Glite Dictionary
Ornithischia

Ornithischia

1 9.9
A group of plant-eating extinct dinosaurs with a bird-like hip, including Stegosaurus and Triceratops
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrnəˈθɪskiə/
  • Specialized
: Ornithischia
  • Paleontologists study Ornithischia to understand the evolution of herbivorous dinosaurs.

Examples

  • Scientists discovered fossils of Ornithischia, revealing their unique bird-like pelvis.

  • The reptile-like Saurischia-- Saurischia and... the birdlike Ornithischia.

    Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

  • The Ornithischia group includes well-known dinosaurs like Triceratops and Stegosaurus.

Synonyms

ornithischian
vsOrnithischia
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A plant-eating dinosaur with hip bones like a bird's

refers to the whole extinct group that includes many armored and duckbilled types
ornithischian dinosaur
vsOrnithischia
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A plant-eating dinosaur with a pelvis similar to a bird's

is the broader taxonomic group containing these dinosaur types

Surface Forms

Ornithischia singular
Ornithischias plural

Morphology

Ornithischia = ornith + ischia

The term is a technical Greek/Latin compound literally meaning 'bird-hipped'; the combining forms are not standalone English words, so the relation is partly visible to informed learners but not fully transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Ornithischia comes from Greek parts ornith- 'bird' and -ischia 'hip', so it means 'bird-hipped'. That's why the name fits a group of plant-eating dinosaurs whose hip bones look like a bird's, even though they were not birds.