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Velociraptor

Velociraptor

11 8.7
A small fast meat-eating dinosaur with a curved claw on each foot
  • noun
  • /vɛˈlɒsɪˌræptər/
  • Specialized
: Velociraptor
  • Special guests of the exhibit are many of the life-sized dinosaur robots that appeared in the film, including Velociraptor and Dilophosaurus.
  • pack of Velociraptors
  • Velociraptors hunted

Examples

  • It's the velociraptor claw he unearthed so long ago in Montana.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Remember that scene in Jurassic Park when they feed the Velociraptors the cow?

    Blog text (6)
  • Perhaps the velociraptor hunting pack was also ruled by a dominant male.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I saw you with the velociraptors.

  • No Velociraptors are going to be set loose on this island.

  • If you look at dinosaur hands, Velociraptor has that cool looking hand with the claws on it.

  • Katie, you know how velociraptors usually hunt in pairs?

  • Pound for pound, a velociraptor was the most rapacious dinosaur that ever lived.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Animals like Dromaeosaurus, Oviraptor, Velociraptor, and Coelurus—predators three to six feet tall—must have been found here in abundance.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • A Velociraptor can run swiftly in pursuit of its prey.

Surface Forms

Velociraptor singular
Velociraptors plural

Morphology

Velociraptor = raptor (semi-transparent) = veloci + raptor

The name is a learned Latin coinage built from 'veloci-' and 'raptor', but the scientific genus meaning is not fully predictable for an average learner.

Etymology

Velociraptor comes from Latin words velox meaning 'swift' and raptor meaning 'thief' or 'one who grabs'. So, the name is like 'swift grabber', which fits this small, fast, meat-eating dinosaur known for catching prey with its curved, sickle-shaped claw.