Meanings
plural protorosaurs
- biologyAn extinct archosauromorph reptile of the order Protorosauria.
The large-sized protorosaur Tanystropheus had extremely elongated neck vertebrae and a neck more than two times the length of its trunk.
2012, Winand Brinkmann, Kenneth De Baets, editors, Paleontological Museum of the University of Zürich: Exhibition Guide, Paleontological Institute and Museum of the University of Zürich, →ISBN, page 761 more example
On the other side, there are about 28 chevrons in the long tail of the protorosaur Tanystropheus at least half of which are similar to element i (see [33 ]: Plate 1, Figure 37).
2015 November 12, “A Reappraisal of the Purported Gastric Pellet with Pterosaurian Bones from the Upper Triassic of Italy”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI
Origin
From scientific Latin Protorosaurus (genus name).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
protorosaur. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protorosaur
“protorosaur.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protorosaur. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “protorosaur,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protorosaur.
Source: protorosaur on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.