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Glite Dictionary
ornithischian dinosaur

ornithischian dinosaur

9.9
A plant-eating dinosaur with a pelvis similar to a bird's
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrnɪˈθɪskiən ˈdaɪnəsɔr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dinosaurio ornitiscio
  • The Stegosaurus is a well-known ornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic period.

Examples

  • Unlike their saurischian relatives, ornithischian dinosaurs had a pelvis that pointed backward.

  • The ornithischian dinosaur roamed the Earth millions of years ago.

  • Fossils of an early ornithischian dinosaur were recently discovered in South America.

  • Did you know that an ornithischian dinosaur could weigh over a ton?

  • The ornithischian dinosaur had a beak-like mouth that helped it eat tough plants.

  • Paleontologists discovered fossilized remains of an ornithischian dinosaur in the desert.

  • Jurassic Park featured life-sized models of ornithischian dinosaurs that amazed visitors.

Synonyms

ornithischian
vsornithischian dinosaur
  • Specialized
9.9

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

is the same meaning but expressed as a fuller two-word form

Surface Forms

ornithischian dinosaur singular
ornithischian dinosaurs plural

Morphology

ornithischian + dinosaur

The noun phrase is a straightforward composition: 'ornithischian' specifies a subclass and 'dinosaur' names the broader category, so together they denote a dinosaur of the Ornithischia group. Provided a learner knows the technical head 'ornithischian' and 'dinosaur', the meaning is directly derivable (though the term is specialist vocabulary), making the expression compositional and transparent.

Etymology

Ornithischian dinosaur comes from words meaning 'bird-hipped', and the word ornithischian points to the hip, so imagine hip bones that point backward like a bird. That's why the name describes a group of 'plant-eating' dinosaurs and helps you remember they have a bird-like hip.