ichthyosaur

American

[ik-thee-uh-sawr] / ˈɪk θi əˌsɔr /

noun

any fishlike marine reptile of the extinct order Ichthyosauria, ranging from 4 to 40 feet (1.2 to 12 meters) in length and having a round, tapering body, a large head, four paddlelike flippers, and a vertical caudal fin.

ichthyosaur British

/ ˈɪkθɪəˌsɔː, ˌɪkθɪəˈsɔːrəs /

noun

any extinct marine Mesozoic reptile of the order Ichthyosauria, which had a porpoise-like body with dorsal and tail fins and paddle-like limbs See also plesiosaur

"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

ichthyosaur Scientific

/ ĭk′thē-ə-sôr′ /

Any of various extinct sea reptiles of the genus Ichthyosaurus and related genera, that had a medium-sized to large dolphin-like body with a dorsal fin, four flippers, and a large, crescent-shaped tail. The head had a long beak with sharp teeth, large eyes and earbones, and nostrils near the eyes on top of the skull. Ichthyosaurs were most common and diverse in the Triassic and Jurassic Periods and died out well before the end of the Cretaceous.

Other Word Forms

ichthyosaurian adjective
ichthyosauroid adjective

Etymology

Origin of ichthyosaur

First recorded in 1820–30; ichthyosaurus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A remarkably complete skeleton uncovered along the UK's Jurassic Coast has been identified as a previously unknown species of ichthyosaur -- a group of prehistoric marine reptiles that once dominated the world's oceans.

From Science Daily

This adaptation appears repeatedly in the fossil record among fish eating animals, including aquatic ichthyosaurs, semi aquatic crocodile and flying pterosaurs.

From Science Daily

Her mineralized vertebra of a juvenile Jurassic ichthyosaur exudes: “Now I am a treasure for you to love—a part of me to call your own.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The region supported plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and large numbers of invertebrates, creating one of the most intricate marine food webs ever identified.

From Science Daily

A near-complete skeleton found on Dorset's Jurassic coast has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur, a type of prehistoric marine reptile that once ruled the oceans.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023