brontosaur

Thân thiện

A brontosaur wades through a shallow prehistoric river.

Definition

Noun: 1. A large, four-legged, plant-eating dinosaur: A brontosaur is a type of very large, long-necked, long-tailed dinosaur that walked on four legs and ate plants. It lived in North America during the late Jurassic period.

Usage

The word "brontosaur" is used to refer specifically to this genus of sauropod dinosaur. It is often used in scientific, educational, and general contexts when discussing prehistoric life. * The museum's centerpiece is a complete skeleton of a brontosaur. * Children are often fascinated by the immense size of the brontosaur.

Advanced Usage

• The term "brontosaur" was historically considered a synonym for , but some modern paleontological research has argued for its reinstatement as a valid genus name distinct from . This makes its usage sometimes a topic of scientific discussion.
  • The debate over whether Brontosaurus is a valid genus continues among paleontologists.

Variants and Related Words

• Brontosaurus (n): The full, formal scientific name often used interchangeably with "brontosaur."
• Apatosaurus (n): The genus name to which "Brontosaurus" was long considered to belong.
• Sauropod (n): The larger group or clade of dinosaurs that includes the brontosaur, characterized by large size, long necks and tails, and a herbivorous diet.

Synonyms

• Thunder lizard (a common interpretation of its Greek-derived name)

Học thuật

Noun

1. huge quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur common in North America in the late Jurassic

Từ đồng nghĩa

• apatosaur
• apatosaurus
• brontosaurus
• thunder lizard
• Apatosaurus excelsus