tyrannosaur
/tɪˈranəsɔː
/ /tʌɪˈranəsɔː/(also tyrannosaurus /tɪˌranəˈsɔːrəs/)
noun
A very large bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period, with powerful jaws and small claw-like front legs.
- Family Tyrannosauridae, infraorder Carnosauria, suborder Theropoda: several species, in particular Tyrannosaurus rex.
- Most predatory dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurs and velociraptors have usually been depicted in museums, films and books as covered in a thick hide of dull brown or green skin.
- Today's bullies of the Serengeti plains, lions and spotted hyenas, were paralleled by tyrannosaurs in Jurassic and Cretaceous ecosystems.
Origin
Modern Latin, from Greek turannos 'tyrant' + sauros 'lizard', on the pattern of dinosaur.