Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
dinner-plating
dinner service
dinner table
dinner theater
dinnertime
dinnerware
Dino
dinoflagellate
dinosaur
dint
diocese
diode
dioecious
dioestrus
dioicous
diol
Diomedes
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "dinosaur" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

dinosaur

di·no·saur [ dnə sàwr ] (plural di·no·saurs)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. extinct reptile: an extinct, chiefly terrestrial reptile that lived in the Mesozoic Era. Some dinosaurs were the largest known land animals. Order Ornithischia, Saurischia.

2. outmoded person or thing: somebody or something that is hopelessly out of date or incapable of adapting to change

[Mid-19th century. < modern Latin dinosaurus< Greek deinos "terrible" + sauros "lizard"]

di·no·sau·ri·an [ dnə sáwree ən ] adjective
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
MSN Shopping
Upgrade your Encarta experience
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft