pliosaur

 
Pronunciation: /ˈplʌɪəsɔː/

noun

  • a plesiosaur with a short neck, large head, and massive toothed jaws.
    • Family Pliosauridae, infraorder Plesiosauria: several genera, including Pliosaurus

Origin:

mid 19th century: from modern Latin Pliosaurus (genus name), from Greek pleiōn 'more' + sauros 'lizard' (because of its greater similarity to a lizard than the ichthyosaur)