Velociraptor
/ˌvɛl.ə.sɪˈræp.tər/noun
A small, carnivorous theropod dinosaur known from Late Cretaceous fossils.
Did you know?The name was coined in 1924 by paleontologist Henry Fairfield Osborn from Latin roots, and the same raptor root also survives in words for seizing and plundering.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
velox
“swift, rapid”
Latin
Latin
raptor
“one who seizes or plunders; thief”
1924
English
Velociraptor
“a genus name created for a fast-moving predatory dinosaur”
Modern English
English
velociraptor
“the dinosaur genus name used in science and popular culture”