mosasaur

mo·sa·saur  (ms-sôr)

n.

Any of various very large extinct aquatic lizards of the genus Mosasaurus, having modified limbs that served as paddles for swimming. These lizards, thought to have been viviparous and carnivorous, may be early ancestors of the modern monitor lizard.

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[New Latin Mosasaurus, genus name : Latin Mosa, the Meuse River (where fossils of the genus were first discovered) + Greek sauros, lizard.]

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mosasaur [ˈməʊsəˌsɔː], mosasaurus [ˌməʊsəˈsɔːrəs]

n pl -saurs, -sauri [-ˈsɔːraɪ]

(Earth Sciences / Palaeontology) any of various extinct Cretaceous giant marine lizards of the genus Mosasaurus and related genera, typically having paddle-like limbs

[from Latin Mosa the river Meuse (near which remains were first found) + -saur]

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mosasaur  (ms-sôr)

Any of various medium-sized to large extinct aquatic lizards of the genus Mosasaurus of the Cretaceous Period, having modified limbs that served as paddles for swimming. Mosasaurs were related to the modern monitor lizard, with which they share a similar skull structure.