Triceratops
/ˌtraɪ.səˈræt.ɒps/noun
A genus of large horned dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period.
Did you know?Triceratops was named in 1889 from Greek roots, and its “face” name comes from the same ancient word family that gives English optics and cyclops-related forms.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
treîs + kéras + ōps
“three + horn + face/eye”
Late 19th Century
New Latin
Triceratops
“scientific genus name meaning "three-horned face"”
1889
English
Triceratops
“introduced into scientific English as the name of a horned dinosaur”
Modern English
English
triceratops
“a large horned dinosaur genus”