plesiosaur

ple·si·o·saur  (pls--sôr, plz-) also ple·si·o·sau·rus (pls--sôrs, plz-)

n. pl. ple·si·o·saurs also ple·si·o·saur·i (-sôr)

A large extinct marine reptile having paddlelike limbs that was common in Europe and North America during the Mesozoic Era.

---

[New Latin Plsiosaurus, type genus : Greek plsios, near to; see pel-⁵ in Indo-European roots + Greek sauros, lizard.]

---

plesiosaur [ˈpliːsɪəˌsɔː]

n

(Earth Sciences / Palaeontology) any of various extinct marine reptiles of the order Sauropterygia, esp any of the suborder Plesiosauria, of Jurassic and Cretaceous times, having a long neck, short tail, and paddle-like limbs See also ichthyosaur Compare dinosaur, pterosaur

[from New Latin plēsiosaurus, from Greek plēsios near + sauros a lizard]

---

plesiosaur  (pls--sôr)

Any of various large, extinct marine reptiles of the genus Plesiosaurus and related genera of the Mesozoic Era. Most plesiosaurs had a small head on a long neck and a broad body with paddlelike limbs; one group had a large head on a short neck. The exact relationship between plesiosaurs and other reptiles is not known.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

plesiosaur - extinct marine reptile with a small head on a long neck a short tail and four paddle-shaped limbs; of the Jurassic and Cretaceous plesiosaurus archosaur, archosaurian, archosaurian reptile - extinct reptiles including: dinosaurs; plesiosaurs; pterosaurs; ichthyosaurs; thecodonts genus Plesiosaurus - a reptile genus of suborder Plesiosauria