ichthyosaur

[ ik-thee-uh-sawr ]
/ ˈɪk θi əˌsɔr /

noun

any fishlike marine reptile of the extinct order Ichthyosauria, ranging from 4 to 40 feet (1.2 to 12 meters) in length and having a round, tapering body, a large head, four paddlelike flippers, and a vertical caudal fin.

Origin of ichthyosaur

First recorded in 1820–30; see origin at ichthyosaurus

OTHER WORDS FROM ichthyosaur

ich·thy·o·sau·ri·an, adjective, noun ich·thy·o·sau·roid, adjective

Words nearby ichthyosaur

ichthyophagous, ichthyophagy, ichthyophthirius, ichthyornis, ichthyosarcotoxin, ichthyosaur, ichthyosaurus, ichthyosiform erythroderma, ichthyosis, ichthyosis linearis circumscripta, ichthyosis sauroderma

Example sentences from the Web for ichthyosaur

British Dictionary definitions for ichthyosaur

ichthyosaur

ichthyosaurus (ˌɪkθɪəˈsɔːrəs)

/ (ˈɪkθɪəˌsɔː) /

noun plural -saurs, -sauruses or -sauri (-ˈsɔːraɪ)

any extinct marine Mesozoic reptile of the order Ichthyosauria, which had a porpoise-like body with dorsal and tail fins and paddle-like limbs See also plesiosaur

Scientific definitions for ichthyosaur

ichthyosaur
[ ĭk′thē-ə-sôr′ ]

Any of various extinct sea reptiles of the genus Ichthyosaurus and related genera, that had a medium-sized to large dolphin-like body with a dorsal fin, four flippers, and a large, crescent-shaped tail. The head had a long beak with sharp teeth, large eyes and earbones, and nostrils near the eyes on top of the skull. Ichthyosaurs were most common and diverse in the Triassic and Jurassic Periods and died out well before the end of the Cretaceous.