Plesiosaurus
- noun
- /ˌplɛziˈoʊsɔrəs/
- Specialized
Examples
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And my fossil-to-chromosome ratios clearly demonstrate that female dinosaurs, like this plesiosaurus, were the stronger and smarter of their species
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The skeleton of a plesiosaurus was discovered intact in the Jurassic rock layers.
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Scientists believe that the long neck of the plesiosaurus helped it reach underwater vegetation.
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Many museums display replicas of the plesiosaurus to educate the public about prehistoric marine life.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Plesiosaurus = plesiosaur (semi-transparent) = plesio + saur + us
The Latinized suffix '-us' is a formal genus ending and does not change the basic meaning, but it is not semantically productive for most learners.
Etymology
Plesiosaurus comes from the Greek parts plesio- meaning 'near' and -saurus meaning 'lizard'. So Plesiosaurus is the name for a long-necked sea 'lizard' — an extinct marine reptile with paddle-like limbs.
