proboscidean
noun
pro·bos·ci·de·an
prə-ˌbä-sə-ˈdē-ən 
variants
or less commonly proboscidian
prə-ˌbä-ˈsi-dē-ən
(ˌ)prō-
: any of an order (Proboscidea) of large mammals comprising the elephants and extinct related forms (such as mastodons)
proboscidean
adjective
Examples of proboscidean in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Elephants and woolly mammoths are distantly related, and both belong to a group of animals known as proboscideans.
—
Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 3 May 2023
Here are some of the latest insights into daily lives and eventual disappearance of the prehistoric proboscidean: 1.
—Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2018
These layers provide data on individual months, or even weeks or days, in a proboscidean’s lifetime.
—Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2018
As Jacey Fortin reports for the New York Times, Jude, now 10, had accidentally stumbled upon the fossilized skull of a 1.2 million-year-old stegomastodon, an extinct proboscidean that belongs to the same family as elephants, mammoths and mastodons.
—Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 19 July 2017
As Jacey Fortin reports for the New York Times, Jude, now 10, had accidentally stumbled upon the fossilized skull of a 1.2 million-year-old stegomastodon, an extinct proboscidean that belongs to the same family as elephants, mammoths and mastodons.
—Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 20 July 2017
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.
—Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017
Phiomia, Deinotherium, Amebelodon, and other archaic proboscideans are represented by both fossils and models, and the artwork in the exhibit is wonderful.
—Brian Switek, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2010
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 3 May 2023
Here are some of the latest insights into daily lives and eventual disappearance of the prehistoric proboscidean: 1.
—Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2018
These layers provide data on individual months, or even weeks or days, in a proboscidean’s lifetime.
—Amber Dance, Discover Magazine, 27 Nov. 2018
As Jacey Fortin reports for the New York Times, Jude, now 10, had accidentally stumbled upon the fossilized skull of a 1.2 million-year-old stegomastodon, an extinct proboscidean that belongs to the same family as elephants, mammoths and mastodons.
—Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 19 July 2017
As Jacey Fortin reports for the New York Times, Jude, now 10, had accidentally stumbled upon the fossilized skull of a 1.2 million-year-old stegomastodon, an extinct proboscidean that belongs to the same family as elephants, mammoths and mastodons.
—Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 20 July 2017
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.
—Joseph J. Kolb, Fox News, 18 July 2017
Phiomia, Deinotherium, Amebelodon, and other archaic proboscideans are represented by both fossils and models, and the artwork in the exhibit is wonderful.
—Brian Switek, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2010
Dictionary Entries Near proboscidean
Cite this Entry
“Proboscidean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proboscidean. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share