dinosaur

Where does the word "dinosaur" come from? It comes from Greek deinos + sauros, and was adopted directly into English (1842).

Dinosaur’s story begins in Greek: deinos + sauros meant “terrible lizard.” Combining "deinos" (terrible) and "sauros" (lizard). It reached English by 1842 as dinosaur. Coined by paleontologist Richard Owen from the Greek roots. Today, dinosaur means any of a group of extinct reptiles that dominated the Earth in the Mesozoic era.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient deinos + sauros "terrible lizard", combining "deinos" (terrible) and "sauros" (lizard).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1842 dinosaur "an extinct reptile", coined by paleontologist Richard Owen from the Greek roots.