դինոզավր
dinozavr/dinoˈzɑvəɾ/
The English word dinosaur is դինոզավր (dinozavr) in Armenian.
դինոզավր refers to a prehistoric reptile. You may encounter the term Դինոզավրիկ, which uses the diminutive suffix –իկ to indicate that something is small or cute. Additionally, the term Դինոզավրանակ uses the suffix –անակ to signify a small or young version of something.
Meaning: prehistoric reptile (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of դինոզավր, add the suffix –եր to the end of the word to get դինոզավրեր. To use the genitive case, which shows possession or the word 'of', add the suffix –ի to the word, resulting in դինոզավրի.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /dinoˈzɑvəɾ/. The /d/ is like the [d] in dog, the /i/ is like the [ea] in seat (short in duration), the /n/ is like the [n] in nest, the /z/ is like the [z] in zoo, the /ɑ/ is like the [a] in lava, the /v/ is like the [v] in van and the /ə/ is like the [a] in again.
Did you know?
- While the word is modern, the Armenian alphabet used to write դինոզավր is one of the oldest living alphabets, created in 405 AD.
- Because դինոզավր is a direct loanword from Russian, it lacks any uniquely Armenian linguistic roots.
- In Armenian, adding the suffix –իկ to create Դինոզավրիկ does not just mean a small dinosaur, but is a common way to turn a noun into a 'pet name' or an endearing term.
Examples in context
- Այս դինոզավրը շատ մեծ էր։Ays dinozavre shat mets er.This dinosaur was very large.
- Դինոզավրերը ապրում էին հնում։Dinozavrery aprum ein hnum.Dinosaurs lived in the past.
Example conversation
A child and his father are looking at a picture book.
- Մարիամ MariamԱյս դինոզավրը շատ սարսափելի է։Ays dinozavre shat sarsapheli e.This dinosaur is very scary.
- Լևոն LevonՄի՛ վախենա, Մարիամ, այն նկարն է։Mi vaxena, Mariam, ayn nkarn e.Don't be afraid, Mariam, it is a picture.
- Մարիամ MariamԻսկ Լևոնն ուզում է դինոզավր դառնալ:Isk Levonn uzum e dinozavr darrnal.And Levon wants to be a dinosaur.
- Լևոն LevonԼավ, ես կլինեմ հսկայական դինոզավր։Lav, yes klinem hskayakan dinozavr.Okay, I will be a huge dinosaur.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinosaur” translations and entries դինոզավր, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries դինոզավր, CC BY-SA 4.0.
