plesiosaur

noun

ple·​si·​o·​saur ˈplē-sē-ə-ˌsȯr 

-zē-

: any of an order or suborder (Plesiosauria) of large carnivorous marine reptiles of the Mesozoic with dorsoventrally flattened bodies and limbs modified into flippers

Examples of plesiosaur in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Turning to a 183-million-year-old plesiosaur fossil from Germany’s Posidonia Shale, researchers have now provided novel insights into plesiosaur skin in the Jurassic period, revealing a strange mixture of smooth on the tail and scaly on the flippers. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2025

For the study, scientists analyzed soft tissue samples from a 183-million-year-old plesiosaur. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025

Everyone's favorite candidate for the identity of the Loch Ness monster, the plesiosaurs were a group of prehistoric marine reptiles that lived in oceans throughout the world between 203 and 66 million years ago. —Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2025

And not everyone is convinced that the presence of scaly skin means plesiosaurs were hanging out on the seafloor. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Greek plēsios close (akin to Greek pelas near) + sauros lizard

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for plesiosaur

• conquistador
• forevermore
• hereinbefore
• kinetochore
• kwashiorkor
• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• backdoor

Kids Definition

plesiosaur

noun

ple·​sio·​saur

ˈplē-sē-ə-ˌsȯ(ə)r,

-zē-

: any of a group of large Mesozoic marine reptiles with flattened bodies and limbs changed into paddles