dinosaurus
[diː.nɔˈsau̯.rʊs]masculine
The English word "dinosaur" is translated into Latin as dinosaurus.
dinosaurus is a masculine noun used to refer to a prehistoric reptile.
Meaning: prehistoric reptile (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun. Its plural form is dinosauri, and the genitive plural form, meaning "of the dinosaurs", is dinosaurōrum.
Did you know?
- If a Roman had tried to describe a dinosaur using only classical Latin, they might have called it a lacertus meaning 'lizard' or draco meaning 'dragon'.
- The Greek root deinós does not just mean 'terrible' in a scary sense, but can also mean 'awesome' or 'fearfully great'.
- Even though it is a scientific term, the word dinosaurus is a modern creation and was not used by ancient Romans.
Examples in context
- Dinosauria multa omnium terrarum partes inhabitaverunt.Dinosaurs inhabited many parts of the world.
- Hic dinosaurus in libro est.This dinosaur is in the book.
Example conversation
Aurelia and Marcus are looking at a picture in a book.
- AureliaEcce, dinosaurus est hic.Look, a dinosaur is here.
- MarcusIta, dinosaurus est ingens.Yes, the dinosaur is huge.
- AureliaNum vidisti eum?Did you see him?
- MarcusNon, sed in imagine video.No, but I see him in the picture.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinosaur” translations and entries dinosaurus, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dinosaurus, CC BY-SA 4.0.
