sauropod

noun

sau·​ro·​pod ˈsȯr-ə-ˌpäd How to pronounce sauropod (audio)
: any of a suborder (Sauropoda) of quadrupedal herbivorous saurischian dinosaurs (such as an apatosaurus) of the Jurassic and Cretaceous having a long neck and tail, small head, and 5-toed limbs on which they tended to walk in a digitigrade fashion
sauropod adjective

Examples of sauropod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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For the herbivores, however, especially in long-neck sauropods, their coprolites contained lots of tree ferns and charcoal. Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2024 The team believes that the sauropods ate the charcoal to detoxify stomach contents, since ferns can be toxic to herbivores. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 27 Nov. 2024 Many sauropods there belonged to the Lirainosaurinae group, which evolved in Europe around 20 million years earlier. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2024 Most of the fossilized prints were created by three-toed theropod dinosaurs, while a few likely belonged to lumbering four-legged sauropods with long necks and tails or ornithischians, which had pelvic structures similar to birds. Katie Hunt, CNN, 31 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sauropod 

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Sauropoda, from Greek sauros lizard + New Latin -poda

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sauropod was circa 1889

Dictionary Entries Near sauropod

Cite this Entry

“Sauropod.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sauropod. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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