| 释义 |
‖ Compsognathus Palæont.|kɒmpˈsɒgnəθəs|
[mod.L., f. Gr. κοµψό-ς elegant, dainty + γνάθος jaw.]
A genus of extinct reptiles, remarkable for their bird-like affinities. Hence compˈsognathous a.; compˈsognathid a. and n., (a member) of the extinct family Compsognathidæ (order Deinosauria) to which these creatures belonged.
1878Darwin Orig. Spec. xi. (ed. 6) 302 The wide interval between birds and reptiles has been shown..to be partially bridged over..by the Compsognathus. 1884G. Allen in Longm. Mag. Jan. 288 Compsognathus may be regarded as filling among its own class the place filled amongst existing mammals by the kangaroo. 1885Geikie Text-bk. Geol. vi. iii. ii. §1 Compsognathus, from the Solenhofen Limestone..possessed a long neck, small head, and long hind limbs on which it must have hopped or walked. |