Advertisement

Advertisement

brontosaurus

[ bron-tuh-sawr-uhs ]

noun

, plural bron·to·sau·rus·es, bron·to·sau·ri [bron-t, uh, -, sawr, -ahy].


brontosaurus

/ ˌbrɒntəˈsɔːrəs; ˈbrɒntəˌsɔː /

noun

  1. any very large herbivorous quadrupedal dinosaur of the genus Apatosaurus , common in North America during Jurassic times, having a long neck and long tail: suborder Sauropoda (sauropods)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


brontosaurus

/ brŏn′tə-sôrəs /

  1. An earlier name for apatosaurus


Brontosaurus

  1. A large herbivorous ( see herbivore ) dinosaur , perhaps the most familiar of the dinosaurs. The scientific name has recently been changed to Apatosaurus, but Brontosaurus is still used popularly. The word is from the Greek, meaning “thunder lizard.”


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of brontosaurus1

< New Latin (1879), equivalent to Greek bronto- (combining form of brontḗ thunder) + saûros -saurus
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of brontosaurus1

C19: from New Latin, from Greek brontē thunder + sauros lizard
Discover More

Word History

Take a little deception, add a little excitement, stir them with a century-long mistake, and you have the mystery of the brontosaurus. Specifically, you have the mystery of its name. For 100 years this 70-foot-long, 30-ton vegetarian giant had two names. This case of double identity began in 1877, when bones of a large dinosaur were discovered. The creature was dubbed apatosaurus, a name that meant “deceptive lizard” or “unreal lizard.” Two years later, bones of a larger dinosaur were found, and in all the excitement, scientists named it brontosaurus or “thunder lizard.” This name stuck until scientists decided it was all a mistake—the two sets of bones actually belonged to the same type of dinosaur. Since it is a rule in taxonomy that the first name given to a newly discovered organism is the one that must be used, scientists have had to use the term apatosaurus. But “thunder lizard” had found a lot of popular appeal, and many people still prefer to call the beast brontosaurus.
Discover More

Compare Meanings

How does brontosaurus compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Discover More

Example Sentences

These reptiles were the forerunners of the gargantuan sauropods, the group that included Brachiosaurus and Brontosaurus.

Once dismissed as just another Apatosaurus, scientists now argue that a large dinosaur deserves its own genus — Brontosaurus.

He would not have been surprised to see a brontosaurus peeking coyly down at him from twenty feet or so of neck.

It was just the sort of place any self-respecting brontosaurus would have wallowed in.

It appears that at the annual fancy-dress ball all the inhabitants clubbed together and went as a Brontosaurus.

Yes—the chinless gentleman with gentle brown and protruding eyes and the expression of a tame brontosaurus.

This intelligent animal (believed to be the female of the Brontosaurus) was probably seeking a change of headgear.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


brontosaurBronx