The Word 'Dinosaur' Was Coined in 1842 and Means 'Terrible Lizard'

The term 'dinosaur' was invented by British palaeontologist Richard Owen in 1842, combining the Greek words 'deinos' (terrible/fearfully great) and 'sauros' (lizard or reptile). Owen coined the term when classifying three large fossil reptiles: Megalosaurus, Iguanodon, and Hylaeosaurus. He recognised they shared a distinct upright posture unlike any living reptile, uniting them as a new taxonomic group.

Source

Owen, R. (1842). Report on British fossil reptiles. Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Published: April 21, 2026
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Dinosaur Dinosaurs History Of Science Paleontology Etymology

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