Dinosauria

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Dinosauria \Di`no*sau"ri*a\, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? terrible + ?
     lizard.] (Paleon.)
     An order of extinct mesozoic reptiles, mostly of large size
     (whence the name). Notwithstanding their size, they present
     birdlike characters in the skeleton, esp. in the pelvis and
     hind limbs. Some walked on their three-toed hind feet, thus


     producing the large "bird tracks," so-called, of mesozoic
     sandstones; others were five-toed and quadrupedal. See
     Illust. of {Compsognathus}, also Illustration of Dinosaur in
     Appendix. Dinothere