Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Dinosaur
An extinct reptile of the Mesozoic era.
The Greek roots
δεινός
deinós
terrible, fearful
σαῦρος
saûros
lizard
Literally: “terrible lizard”
The story of the word
Coined in 1842 to convey the awe these 'fearfully great lizards' inspired in the scientists who first described them.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
The museum's dinosaur skeleton towered over the hall.