thecodont

[ thee-kuh-dont ]
/ ˈθi kəˌdɒnt /

noun

any of various reptiles of the extinct order Thecodontia, occurring in the late Permian to late Triassic periods and characterized by teeth set in sockets.

adjective

having the teeth set in sockets.
belonging to or pertaining to the Thecodontia.

Origin of thecodont

1830–40; < New Latin, equivalent to Greek thḗk(ē) case, chest (see theca) + -odont- -odont; so named from the sockets in which the marginal teeth were implanted

Words nearby thecodont

Example sentences from the Web for thecodont

British Dictionary definitions for thecodont

thecodont
/ (ˈθiːkəˌdɒnt) /

adjective

(of mammals and certain reptiles) having teeth that grow in sockets
of or relating to teeth of this type

noun

any extinct reptile of the order Thecodontia, of Triassic times, having teeth set in sockets: they gave rise to the dinosaurs, crocodiles, pterodactyls, and birds

Word Origin for thecodont

C20: New Latin Thecondontia, from Greek thēkē case + -odont

Scientific definitions for thecodont

thecodont
[ thēkə-dŏnt′ ]

Any of various extinct primitive archosaurs of the order Thecodontia of the late Permian and Triassic Periods. Thecodonts had teeth in sockets and were probably ancestral to the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and crocodilians.