prosauropod
|pro-sau-ro-pod|
🇺🇸
/ˌproʊˈsɔːrəˌpɑd/
🇬🇧
/ˌprəʊˈsɔːrəpɒd/
early sauropod-like dinosaur
Etymology
'prosauropod' originates from New Latin 'Prosauropoda', formed from the prefix 'pro-' meaning 'before' and the Greek elements 'sauros' meaning 'lizard' and 'pous/pod' meaning 'foot'.
'prosauropod' changed from the New Latin taxonomic name 'Prosauropoda' (coined in the 19th century) and entered English usage as the common-word form 'prosauropod'.
Initially it meant 'before sauropods' (i.e., presumed ancestors of sauropods); over time it came to refer more broadly to early sauropodomorph dinosaurs and is often treated as an informal/paraphyletic grouping rather than a single ancestral clade.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an informal name for early sauropodomorph dinosaurs (Late Triassic–Early Jurassic) that were generally small-to-medium, often bipedal or facultatively quadrupedal herbivores or omnivores; historically regarded as ancestors or 'forerunners' of the later giant sauropods.
The museum displayed a nearly complete prosauropod skeleton from the Late Triassic.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/23 08:45