creodont
[ kree-uh-dont ]
/ ˈkri əˌdɒnt /
noun
any of a diverse group of extinct predatory mammals, from the Paleocene to Pleistocene epochs, that constituted the suborder Creodonta, of the order Carnivora, developing along evolutionary lines somewhat parallel to those of the ancestors of modern carnivores and typically having a stocky, doglike body and a long, low skull.
Origin of creodont
< New Latin
Creodonta (1875) name of the group, equivalent to
cre- (< Greek
kréas flesh) +
-odont-
-odont +
-a neuter plural ending
Words nearby creodont
crenellated,
crenocyte,
crenshaw melon,
crenulate,
crenulation,
creodont,
creole,
creole continuum,
creole tomato,
creole-fish,
creolize
Example sentences from the Web for creodont
There are, however, other points of likeness which seem rather to point to a Creodont origin.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia |Frank Evers BeddardThe well-known plantigrade tread of bears is a primitive characteristic which has survived from their creodont ancestry.
The Elements of Geology |William Harmon NortonThe group is believed to be derived from a creodont allied to the Eocene Palaeonictis (see Creodonta).
British Dictionary definitions for creodont
creodont
/ (ˈkriːəˌdɒnt) /
noun
any of a group of extinct Tertiary mammals some of which are thought to have been the ancestors of modern carnivores: order Carnivora
Word Origin for creodont
C19: from New Latin
Creodonta, from Greek
kreas flesh +
odōn tooth
Scientific definitions for creodont
creodont
[ krē′ə-dŏnt′ ]
Any of various extinct carnivorous mammals of the order Creodonta of the Paleocene to the Pliocene Epochs. Creodonts had long, low skulls with crests to which chewing muscles were attached. They were the dominant carnivorous mammals for millions of years, and were once believed to be ancestral to modern carnivores.