dinosaur

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δεινός (deinós, “terrible, awesome, mighty, fearfully great”) + σαῦρος (saûros, “lizard, reptile”). Coined as Dinosaur(s) and Dinosauria by paleontologist Richard Owen in 1841/1842.

noun

1. (sciences) Any of the animals belonging to the clade Dinosauria, especially those that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct.
2. (colloquial) Any member of the clade Dinosauria other than birds.
3. (proscribed) Any extinct reptile, not necessarily belonging to Dinosauria, that existed between about 230 million and 65 million years ago.
   ‘Dinosaur!’ Denham exploded. ‘By the Power! A dinosaur!’ 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 80
4. (figurative, colloquial) Something or someone that is very old or old-fashioned, or is not willing to change and adapt.
   [The OS/360 linkage editor] is the culmination of years of development of static overlay technique. Yet it is also the last and finest of the dinosaurs, for it belongs to a system in which multiprogramming is the normal mode and dynamic core allocation the basic assumption. 1975, Frederick P. Brooks Jr., The Mythical Man-Month, published 1995
   The sign in the window said for sale or trade on the last remaining dinosaur Detroit made. 1999, Ron Harbin, Aaron Barker, Anthony L. Smith (lyrics and music), “What About Now”, performed by Lonestar
5. (figurative, colloquial) Anything no longer in common use or practice.