Etymology

Proavis

P3R1O1A1V4I1S1

Today it means: Any of various hypothetical extinct species or taxa that were coined in the early 20th century in an attempt to support and explain the hypothetical evolutionary steps and anatomical adaptations leading from non-avian theropod dinosaurs to birds. Full definition →

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The story

From pro- (“prior”) + Latin avis (“bird”)

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.