steg·o·saur·us

(stĕg′ə-sôr′əs)

A stegosaurian dinosaur of the genus Stegosaurus of the Jurassic Period, having large upright plates along the back and two pairs of spikes on the tail. Also called stegosaur.

[New Latin Stegosaurus, genus name : Greek stegos, roof; see stegodon + Greek sauros, lizard.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

steg·o·sau·rus

(stĕg′ə-sôr′əs) or steg·o·saur (stĕg′ə-sôr′)

Any of several plant-eating dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Stegosaurus had a spiked tail and an arched back with a double row of large, triangular, upright, bony plates. Although stegosaurs grew to 20 feet (6.1 meters) in length, they had tiny heads with brains the size of a walnut.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

stegosaurus - herbivorous ornithischian dinosaur with a row of bony plates along its back and a spiked tail probably used as a weapon

stegosaur, Stegosaur stenops

armored dinosaur - dinosaurs having bony armour

genus Stegosaurus - quadrupedal armored herbivore of the Jurassic and Cretaceous

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The inscription beneath it runs: `Probable appearance in life of the Jurassic Dinosaur Stegosaurus. The hind leg alone is twice as tall as a full-grown man.' Well, what do you make of that?"

You will observe that both the pterodactyl and the stegosaurus are Jurassic, and therefore of a great age in the order of life.

View in context

Maidment in a statement from the museum."Most known stegosaurus date from later in the Jurassic Period, making this the oldest definite stegosaur described and helping to increase our understanding of the evolution of this group of dinosaurs.

Paleontologists Discover Oldest Ever Stegosaur Bones in Morocco

Visitors can get close to some of their favourite characters from the Jurassic Era - triceratops, stegosaurus, velociraptors and even the dreaded tyrannosaurus Rex which stands 50ft tall.

TAKE A TRIP TO LAND OF THE GIANTS; There's colossal fun for Jurassic fans to be discovered across the Highlands and Islands, writes Susan Welsh

They include Alan the Avocado, Francis the Frog, Anna the Llama, Cath the Stegosaurus, Scarlet the Sloth, Tallulah the Pug and Chris the Gingerbread Friend.

Gingering up new designs for biscuits

During a field trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy is thrilled to share what she knows about the Stegosaurus and the Archaeopteryx and even the ginormous Titanosaurus.

The Dinosaur Expert

Vintage impressions of wimples and queens are counteracted by mentions of contemporary delights, from stegosaurus toys to Cheetos and Taylor Swift.

The Lightning Jar

event Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular Internationally renowned designers have worked with scientists to create 18 life-size creatures, including the Stegosaurus, Raptors, and the terrifying Tyrannosaurus-rex!

48 YOUR [...]; Liverpool on her Dad's missing from Dad's best from his three park, right into her 48 YOUR NEXT hours MUSIC, THEATRE, COMEDY AND MORE ... FOUR PAGES OF LISTINGS START HERE

The pages are strewn with all your usual dinos in bright bold colours (T-rex, stegosaurus, triceratops) but there are a few you'll want to work on saying - Corytosaurus, anyone?

CHILDREN'S book of the week

The map features facts and figures about the different species on display, including a velociraptor, stegosaurus, triceratops and the mighty tyrannosaurus rex.

'Prehistoric trail' marks arrival of a famous visitor from past..

Jurassic Dinosaurs in the Park A selection of dinos, from a lifesize baby Tyrannosaurus Rex to a spiny stegosaurus,will be roaring their way around a Welsh park for a family day of "Jurassic larks".

Here come the dinosaurs; There are plenty of events INWALES where you can get up close and personal with dinosaurs in the coming months. Karen Price takes a look..

Examples of bird-hipped dinosaurs are the armored stegosaurus, and the plant eating ankylosaurus.

Rewriting The Dinosaur Tree