Plesiosaur

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpliːsiəsɔːɹ/

Definitions

1. A type of marine reptile from the Mesozoic era characterized by a long neck, four flippers, and a small head
2. This extinct creature is known for its distinctive body shape, with elongated limbs adapted for swimming and a large size
3. An ancient ocean-dwelling reptile that possessed a unique anatomy, including a lengthy neck and paddle-like limbs, which enabled it to thrive in prehistoric seas

Etymology: The name was coined in 1824 by the English geologists William Conybeare and Henry De la Beche, who were working on the same kind of marine fossils that had been turning up in English rock strata. They had already seen the ichthyosaur, a fish-like marine reptile, and needed a partner for it. The new animal was less fishlike, closer to an ordinary reptile in its build, so they called it "Plesiosaurus," from Greek "plesios," meaning "near," and "sauros," meaning "lizard," roughly "near-lizard" or "almost a lizard." The English word "plesiosaur" came later, formed as a backformation from that genus name, meaning a member of the group rather than the single genus. The Greek element "plesio-" appears in other scientific coinages, but here it is attached to a name chosen by comparison with a neighbouring fossil, not to any feature of the animal's anatomy.