Iguanodon

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A significant dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous, it was primarily herbivorous and noted for its unique thumb spikes while illustrating key evolutionary traits in reptiles and exhibiting both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion
2. This dinosaur, known for its herbivorous diet and large size, lived during the Early Cretaceous, featuring notable thumb spikes and showcasing important evolutionary adaptations in reptiles as well as both bipedal and quadrupedal movement
3. A distinctive dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous period, it is recognized for its plant-eating habits, substantial size, unique thumb spikes, and its illustration of critical evolutionary developments in reptiles combined with its ability to move both on two and four limbs

Etymology: The name was coined in 1825 by Gideon Mantell, an English surgeon and fossil collector, after he found teeth in Sussex quarries that resembled those of the modern iguana. The teeth were so unlike those of any known animal that he named the creature after the lizard, adding a Greek-derived suffix meaning "tooth." The resemblance was a mistake: the teeth belonged to a plant-eating dinosaur, not a lizard, and the comparison to iguanas was a guess based on their shape. The first part of the name comes from Spanish "iguana," which was borrowed from Taíno, the language of the Caribbean peoples the Spanish met in the 1490s. The second part, "-odon," is a modern scientific element built from Greek "odous," meaning "tooth," and is used across the naming of many fossil animals. Together the parts give a name that reads as "iguana-tooth."