‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; terrible + &unr_;, &unr_;, horn. ] (Paleon.) A genus of large extinct Eocene mammals from Wyoming; -- called also
☞ They were herbivorous, and remarkable for three pairs of hornlike protuberances on the skull. The males were armed with a pair of powerful canine tusks. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. a small order of primitive ungulates of the Paleocene and Eocene.
n. and order of plankton, in some classifications it is considered a phylum of the kingdom Protista; in others it is included in the plant phylum
n. a member of the
‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; terrible + &unr_; bird. ] (Paleon.) A genus of extinct, ostrichlike birds of gigantic size, which formerly inhabited New Zealand. See Moa.
‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; terrible + &unr_; lizard. ] (Paleon.) An order of extinct mesozoic reptiles, mostly of large size (whence the name). Notwithstanding their size, they present birdlike characters in the skeleton, esp. in the pelvis and hind limbs. Some walked on their three-toed hind feet, thus producing the large “bird tracks, ” so-called, of mesozoic sandstones; others were five-toed and quadrupedal. See Illust. of Compsognathus, also Illustration of Dinosaur in Appendix.
n. (Chem.) Same as Dioxide. [ 1913 Webster ]