Dinosaur | Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Dinosaur By Etymonline

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Origin and history of dinosaur

dinosaur(n.)

one of the Dinosauria, a class of extinct Mesozoic reptiles often of enormous size, 1841, coined in Modern Latin by Sir Richard Owen, from Greek deinos "terrible" (see dire) + sauros "lizard" (see -saurus). Figurative sense of "person or institution not adapting to change" is from 1952. Related: Dinosaurian.

also from 1841

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dire(adj.)

"causing or attended by great fear, dreadful, awful," 1560s, from Latin dirus "fearful, awful, boding ill," a religious term, which is of unknown origin. Apparently a dialect word in Latin; perhaps from Oscan and Umbrian and perhaps cognate with Greek deinos "terrible," Sanskrit dvis- 'hate, enmity, enemy," from PIE root *dwei-, forming words for "fear; hatred."

The recent date of appearance, and the absence of any derivatives within Latin, might also be interpreted as a support for this explanation. We may accept it, but with the necessary precautions, since it remains an explanation ex obscuro. [de Vaan]

-saurus

element used in forming dinosaur names, from Latinized form of Greek sauros "lizard," a word of unknown origin; possibly related to saulos "twisting, wavering."

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velociraptorFig. 1) of the typical megalosaurian type, although of small size, seems to have been an alert, swift-moving carnivorous dinosaur...diplodocusThe dinosaur was so called for the peculiar structure of the tail bones....MaiaThe maiasaura dinosaur is so called from 1979, in reference to the fossil preservation of its nesting colonies....fiscal1560s, "pertaining to public revenue," from French fiscal, from Late Latin fiscalis "of or belonging to the state treasury," from Latin fiscus "state treasury," originally "money bag, purse, basket made of twigs (in which money was kept)," which is of unknown origin. The etymologtrivial"ordinary" (1580s); "insignificant, trifling" (1590s), from Latin trivialis "common, commonplace, vulgar," literally "of or belonging to the crossroads," from trivium "place where three roads meet," in transferred use, "an open place, a public place," from tri- "three" (see threeambiguous"of doubtful or uncertain nature, open to various interpretations," 1520s, from Latin ambiguus "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful," an adjective derived from ambigere "to dispute about, contend, debate," literally "to wander, go about, go around," figurativelythesislate 14c., "unaccented syllable or note," from Latin thesis "unaccented syllable in poetry," later (and more correctly) "stressed part of a metrical foot," from Greek thesis "a proposition," also "downbeat" (in music), originally "a setting down, a placing, an arranging; positionVatican1550s, from Latin mons Vaticanus, Roman hill on which Papal palace stands. By Klein's sources said to be an Etruscan loan-word and unrelated to vates "soothsayer, prophet, seer" (see vates), but most others seem to think it is related, on the notion of "hill of prophecy" (comparestoke1680s, "to feed and stir up" (a fire in a fireplace or furnace), a back-formation from stoker "one who maintains a fire in a furnace" (1650s); ultimately from Dutch stoken "to stoke," from Middle Dutch stoken "to poke, thrust," related to stoc "stick, stump," from Proto-Germanic pander"arranger of sexual liaisons, one who caters for the lusts of others," 1520s, "procurer, pimp," from Middle English Pandare (late 14c.), used by Chaucer ("Troylus and Cryseyde"), who borrowed it from Boccaccio (who had it in Italian form Pandaro in "Filostrato") as name of the pr

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/dinosaurCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/dinosaur">Etymology of dinosaur by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of dinosaur. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/dinosaurCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of dinosaur," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed March 10, 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/dinosaur.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of dinosaur." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/dinosaur. Accessed 10 March, 2026.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of dinosaur." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/dinosaur (accessed March 10, 2026).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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