As nouns the difference between dinosaur and tenontosaur
is that dinosaur is any of the creatures belonging to the clade Dinosauria, especially those that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct while tenontosaur is any of the genus genus: Tenontosaurus of ornithopod dinosaurs.
dinosaur
English
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Alternative forms
* deinosaur (archaic)
Noun
(
en noun)
Any of the creatures belonging to the clade Dinosauria, especially those that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct
(proscribed) Any extinct reptile, not necessarily belonging to Dinosauria, that existed between about 230 million and 65 million years ago
(figuratively, colloquial) A person or organisation that is very old, has very old-fashioned views, or is not willing to change and adapt
(figuratively, colloquial) Anything no longer in common use or practice
Usage notes
Many animals commonly described as dinosaurs do not belong to Dinosauria, and are not true dinosaurs. These include pterosaurs, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs. Describing these as dinosaurs is frowned upon in scientific writing but persists in the media and in everyday speech.
Conversely, not all members of Dinosauria became extinct in the . Those that survived were the ancestors of modern birds, which therefore also belong to Dinosauria. However, birds are not usually described as dinosaurs, except in some popular science writing.
Synonyms
* (dinosaur excluding birds) non-avian dinosaur
* (person who is very old) fossil, old fart
Derived terms
* -saur
Alternative forms
* (l)
References
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