Ichthyosaurian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A classification of extinct reptiles from the Mesozoic era, known for their fish-like appearance and adaptations for swimming in marine environments
2. An extinct group of large marine reptiles distinguished by their streamlined bodies and specialized limbs adapted for life in water during the age of dinosaurs
3. Pertaining to the group of ancient marine reptiles that exhibited fish-like traits and lived during the Mesozoic period

Etymology: Ichthyosaurian comes from "Ichthyosauria," the name of the group of extinct marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs, with the English suffix "-an" added to turn it into an adjective. The group name is itself a modern scientific coinage built from Greek: "ichthys" means "fish" and "sauros" means "lizard," so the name literally means "fish-lizard." The creatures looked somewhat like dolphins, which is why the Greek-derived name fits their appearance so well, though they were reptiles rather than fish. The "-an" ending is a common English adjective-forming suffix, borrowed through Latin from Greek, and it attaches to scientific group names in the same way as in "Cretaceous" or "Jurassic" derivatives. The result describes anything belonging to, resembling, or characteristic of the ichthyosaurs.