ichthyosaur

[ ik-thee-uh-sawr ]

/ ˈɪk θi əˌsɔr /

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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.

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Origin of ichthyosaur

First recorded in 1820–30; see origin at ichthyosaurus

OTHER WORDS FROM ichthyosaur

ich·thy·o·sau·ri·an, adjective, nounich·thy·o·sau·roid, adjective

Words nearby ichthyosaur

ichthyophagous, ichthyophagy, ichthyophthirius, Ichthyornis, ichthyosarcotoxin, ichthyosaur, ichthyosaurus, ichthyosis, ICI, -ician, icicle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ichthyosaur in a sentence

Motani was part of a team that examined the nearly complete skeleton of an adult ichthyosaur.
This ancient reptile’s last meal may have truly been a killer|Maria Temming|October 9, 2020|Science News For Students
The researchers believe the ichthyosaur most likely hunted its meal.
This ancient reptile’s last meal may have truly been a killer|Maria Temming|October 9, 2020|Science News For Students
In fact, this particular thalattosaur may have been such a big meal that the ichthyosaur died after eating it.
This ancient reptile’s last meal may have truly been a killer|Maria Temming|October 9, 2020|Science News For Students
The ichthyosaur is thought to have been roughly seven times more massive than the whip-thin thalattosaur.
This ichthyosaur died after devouring a creature nearly as long as itself|Maria Temming|August 20, 2020|Science News

In fact, this particular thalattosaur may have been such a big meal that the ichthyosaur died after stomaching it.
This ichthyosaur died after devouring a creature nearly as long as itself|Maria Temming|August 20, 2020|Science News
Buckland, I think, once indulged in the jeu d'esprit of supposing an ichthyosaur lecturing on the human skull.
A Journey in Other Worlds|John Jacob Astor
It cannot concern me individually, any more than what happens to-day concerns the extinct ichthyosaur or the megatherium.
Facts and fancies in modern science|John William Dawson
In the popular mind, perhaps, the Ichthyosaur and Plesiosaur are the typical representatives of that extinct race.
The Story of Evolution|Joseph McCabe
One fossilised Ichthyosaur of the weaker-toothed variety has been found with the remains of two hundred Belemnites in its stomach.
The Story of Evolution|Joseph McCabe
Compared with the Ichthyosaur, it was what the giraffe is to the rhinoceros, or the swan to the porpoise.
The Story of the Earth and Man|J. W. Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for ichthyosaur

ichthyosaur

ichthyosaurus (ˌɪkθɪəˈsɔːrəs)

/ (ˈɪkθɪəˌsɔː) /

noun plural -saurs, -sauruses or -sauri (-ˈsɔːraɪ)

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

Scientific definitions for ichthyosaur

ichthyosaur

[ 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.