bone-headed dinosaur
- noun
- /ˈboʊnˌhɛdɪd ˈdaɪnəsɔr/
- Specialized
- The bone-headed dinosaur was known for its thick skull, possibly used for head-butting.
Examples
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Paleontologists discovered a partial skeleton of a bone-headed dinosaur in the Montana badlands.
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Many scientists believe that the bone-headed dinosaur roamed in herds during the late Cretaceous period.
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The bone-headed dinosaur roamed the plains millions of years ago.
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Did you know the bone-headed dinosaur had a thick skull?
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Many scientists believe that the bone-headed dinosaur roamed in herds during the late Cretaceous period.
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Paleontologists discovered a partial skeleton of a bone-headed dinosaur in the Montana badlands.
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The bone-headed dinosaur was known for its thick skull, possibly used for head-butting.
Synonyms
A large two-legged plant-eating dinosaur with a thick rounded skull used for head-butting
A dinosaur that eats plants and has a thick, rounded skull
Surface Forms
Morphology
bone-headed + dinosaur
The compound is compositionally transparent: 'bone' + 'headed' describes having a head characterized by bone (i.e., a bony or bone-like head), following common adjective+headed patterns (e.g., red-headed). Although 'bone-headed' can be an idiom meaning 'stupid' in other contexts, the collocate 'dinosaur' and the biological definition make the literal, physical reading clear to a learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
The noun bone-headed dinosaur comes from its very thick, bony skull: it looked as if a thick bone sat on its head. Scientists think these dinosaurs used that dome to 'head-butt' rivals, so the name points to the animal's shape and likely behaviour.