dromaeosaurid
/ˌdrəʊmɪə(ʊ)ˈsɔːrɪd
/(also dromaeosaur /ˈdrəʊmɪə(ʊ)sɔː/)
noun
A carnivorous bipedal dinosaur of a late Cretaceous family which included deinonychus and the velociraptors. They had a large slashing claw on each hind foot.
- Family Dromaeosauridae, suborder Theropoda, order Saurischia.
- This southern radiation parallels the spread of small theropods such as the dromaeosaurids, or ‘raptors,’ through the Northern Hemisphere during the same time period.
- Popular Science reviews the discovery of a well-preserved fossil of the ‘feathered’ dinosaur known as a dromaeosaur.
Origin
1970s: from modern Latin Dromaeosauridae, based on Greek dromaios 'swift-running' + sauros 'lizard'.