megatherioidn.adj.
/ˌmɛɡəˈθɪərɪɔɪd/, U.S. /ˌmɛɡəˈθɪriˌɔɪd/ Palaeontology. Now rare.
A. n.
A megatherium or similar extinct edentate mammal.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > order Edentata > [noun] > family Bradypodidae (sloth) > extinct sloths > family Megatheriidae
megatherium1797
megatherioid1839
scelidothere1840
Scelidotherium1840
megathere1842
megatherian1842
1839 Penny Cycl. XV. 65/2 Megatheriidæ, Megatheroids of Owen.
1839 Penny Cycl. XV. 70/1 Mylodon. A genus of Edentate Megatherioids.
1872 H. A. Nicholson Man. Palæontol. 416 The gigantic Megatheroids.
1889 Philos. Trans. 1888 (Royal Soc.) B. 179 59 The homologous descending malar process among Mammals is found only in those types which come nearest to Reptiles in brain structure, such as Kangaroos, Sloths, and Megatheroids.
B. adj.
Of, relating to, or resembling a megatherium.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > order Edentata > [adjective] > relating to or resembling megatherium
megatherian1842
megatherioid1842
1842 R. Owen in Trans. Geol. Soc. 6 98 The Megatherioid families of Edentata.
1842 R. Owen (title) Description of the skeleton of an extinct gigantic sloth, Mylodon robustus, Owen; with observations on the..probable habits of the megatherioid quadrupeds in general.
1845 C. Darwin Jrnl. (ed. 2) v. 83 The teeth indicate, by their simple structure, that these Megatheroid animals lived on vegetable food.
1847 D. T. Ansted Anc. World xv. 369 The Scelidotherium..differs rather more from the Megatheroid type.
1890 Philos. Trans. 1889 (Royal Soc.) B. 180 224 The sacrum is said..to come nearer in shape to the Megatherioid Mammals.
1910 N.E.D. at Scelidotherium A genus of megatherioid edentate mammals.
1968 Q. Rev. Biol. 43 424/2 Knowledge of the great sloth group, the infra~order Pilosa, begins in the Deseadan... By then the major dichotomy into mylodontoid and megatherioid divisions had already been established.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2001; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.adj.1839