Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun, plural bron·to·sau·rus·es, bron·to·sau·ri [bron-tuh–sawr-ahy] /ˌbrɒn təˈsɔr aɪ/.
noun
- any very large herbivorous quadrupedal dinosaur of the genus Apatosaurus, common in North America during Jurassic times, having a long neck and long tail: suborder Sauropoda (sauropods)
1879, Modern Latin, from Greek bronte “thunder” (perhaps from PIE imitative root *bhrem- “to growl”) + -saurus. Brontes was the name of one of the Cyclopes in Greek mythology.
- An earlier name for apatosaurus.
A large herbivorous (see herbivore) dinosaur, perhaps the most familiar of the dinosaurs. The scientific name has recently been changed to Apatosaurus, but Brontosaurus is still used popularly. The word is from the Greek, meaning “thunder lizard.”