: any of a genus (Allosaurus) of very large carnivorous North American theropod dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic period
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebBig Sara, an allosaurus, was estimated at 1 million euros but sold for 3 million euros in 2020. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 12 Sep. 2022 Taylor came to see the bones, and identified them as belonging to an allosaurus. Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2019 Discover fossils at Dinosaur National Monument, Utah Take a giant stride back 150 million years to the Jurassic era and explore the fossils of allosauruses and stegosauruses that once roamed northeastern Utah.National Geographic, 17 June 2019 But people can also bypass that completely and head right toward that violent T. rex vs. triceratops display, as well as to view other dinosaurs like the allosaurus and stegosaurus. David Oliver, USA TODAY, 5 June 2019
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin, genus name, from allo-allo- + -saurus-saurus
Note: Genus name introduced by the American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-99) in "Notice of New Dinosaurian Reptiles from the Jurassic Formation," The American Journal of Science and Arts, vol. 114 (3rd series, vol. 14) (Jul.-Dec., 1877), no. 84, pp. 514-16. The combining element allo- is apparently meant to represent its distinctness: "This genus may be distinguished from any known Dinosaurs by the vertebræ, which are peculiarly modified to ensure lightness" (p. 515).