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Glite Dictionary
pachycephalosaur

pachycephalosaur

1 9.9
A large two-legged plant-eating dinosaur with a thick rounded skull used for head-butting
  • noun
  • /ˌpækɪˈsɛfələˌsɔr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : pachicefalosaurio
  • The pachycephalosaur is famous for its extraordinarily thick skull, which scientists think was used for head-butting behaviors.

Examples

  • Children visiting the museum were fascinated by the life-size model of a pachycephalosaur.

  • The paleontologist described the newly discovered pachycephalosaur as having a thick domed skull unlike any other dinosaur.

  • Fossils of a pachycephalosaur were discovered in North America, providing insight into Cretaceous period fauna.

  • The pachycephalosaur roamed the plains during the Late Cretaceous period.

  • Did you know that the pachycephalosaurus had a thick skull?

  • The pachycephalosaur was a massive bipedal herbivore, known for its unique feature of a dome-shaped head.

  • Fossils of the pachycephalosaur reveal its herbivorous diet and the impressive ten inches of bone atop its skull.

Synonyms

bone-headed dinosaur
vspachycephalosaur
  • Specialized
9.2

A two-legged plant-eating dinosaur with a thick rounded skull

describes the same animals but notes exact skull bone thickness up to ten inches
pachycephalosaurus
vspachycephalosaur
  • Specialized
9.9

A large plant-eating dinosaur with a thick domed skull that walked on two legs

describes the general animals and gives skull thickness rather than species size claim

Surface Forms

pachycephalosaur singular
pachycephalosauruses plural
pachycephalosauruses plural
pachycephalosaurus singular

Morphology

pachycephalosaur = pachy + cephalo + saur

The word is formed from technical Greek combining forms ('pachy-' 'cephalo-' '-saur') that are not standalone English morphemes; an average B1 learner would not be able to infer the meaning from familiar English vocabulary.

Etymology

The word pachycephalosaur comes from Greek parts: pachy- meaning 'thick', cephalo- meaning 'head', and -saur meaning 'lizard'. So, a pachycephalosaur is a 'thick-headed lizard', which fits this dinosaur's very thick skull that people think was used for head-butting.