Stegosaurus
/ˌstɛɡəˈsɔːrəs/noun
A large herbivorous dinosaur recognized by two rows of bony plates along its back and spikes on its tail.
Did you know?When Richard Owen named Stegosaurus in 1877, he mistakenly imagined its plates lay flat like roof tiles rather than standing upright along its back.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*steg-
“To cover or protect”
Ancient Greek
Greek
stégē
“A roof or covering”
Ancient Greek
Greek
saûros
“Lizard”
1877
Scientific Latin
Stegosaurus
““Roofed lizard,” coined by Richard Owen for the dinosaur genus”
Modern English
English
stegosaurus
“A plated herbivorous dinosaur of the Late Jurassic period”