elasmosaur
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9.9
- noun
- /ɪˈlæzməˌsɔr/
- Specialized
- Fossils of the elasmosaur show that it was a massive marine reptile from the Cretaceous period.
Examples
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The elasmosaur had a long neck that helped it hunt for fish in the ocean.
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From the deep bite marks on Elasmosaur bones made by larger relatives, it would appear that other Liopleurodon were luckier.
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We are not yet sure of just how they hunted or why one group of plesiosaurs, the elasmosaurs, needed necks twenty feet long to catch the fish.
Academic text (1995) -
Paleontologists believe that the elasmosaur used its elongated neck to reach prey far away.
Synonyms
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9.9
A now extinct sea reptile with a small head, long neck, short tail, and four flippers
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9.9
A large sea animal with a small head, long neck, and paddle limbs that lived long ago
Surface Forms
Morphology
elasmosaur = elasmo + saur
The word is a technical taxonomic compound built from Greek combining forms ('elasmo-' + '-saur') that are not productive standalone English morphemes, so its meaning is not recoverable by an average learner from familiar English bases.
Etymology
Elasmosaur comes from Greek parts elasm- meaning 'plate' and -saur meaning 'lizard'. A helpful way to remember it is to think 'plate-lizard' and notice the -saur part is the same as in dinosaur. So, an elasmosaur is the name given to a large, ancient 'lizard' that lived in the sea.