psittacosaurus

9.9

A small early dinosaur with a parrot-like beak, a tiny neck frill, and two strong back legs

noun
/ˌsɪtəkəˈsɔrəs/

Specialized

: psittacosaurus

With its parrot-shaped beak, the psittacosaurus stands out among early ceratopsians.

Examples

The fossil of a psittacosaurus was discovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert by paleontologists.
Museum exhibits often display the psittacosaurus because of its unique frill and bipedal posture.
The psittacosaurus roamed the Earth millions of years ago.
Did you know that the psittacosaurus had a beak-like jaw?
The fossil of a psittacosaurus was discovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert by paleontologists.
Museum exhibits often display the psittacosaurus because of its unique frill and bipedal posture.
With its parrot-shaped beak, the psittacosaurus stands out among early ceratopsians.

Synonyms

psittacosaur

vspsittacosaurus

Specialized

9.9

A small early plant-eating dinosaur with a parrot-like beak that walked on two legs

is the scientific genus name for the group rather than one animal

Surface Forms

psittacosaurus singular

psittacosauruses plural

Morphology

psittacosaurus = psittaco + saurus

Although the name is etymologically built from classical combining forms meaning 'parrot' + 'lizard', those forms are not productive or familiar to average learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from common English bases.

Etymology

Psittacosaurus comes from Greek words psittakos 'parrot' and sauros 'lizard'. It was named for its parrot-like beak and long back legs, so thinking 'parrot lizard' helps you remember this small dinosaur.