The Greek Words Used to Name Dinosaurs

If it sometimes seems as if the names of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals come from another language, well, theres a simple explanation: the names of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals really do come from another language. Traditionally, paleontologists the world over use Greek to christen new species and genera — not only of dinosaurs, but also of birds, mammals, and even microbes. Partly this is a matter of convention, but partly its rooted in common sense: classical Greek and Latin have been the shared languages of scholars and scientists for hundreds of years. (Lately, though, there has been a trend for using non-Greek roots to name dinosaurs and prehistoric animals; hence sibilant beasts like Suuwassea and Thililua.) But enough about all that: what good does this information do you if you have to decode a mouthful of a name like Micropachycephalosaurus? The following is a list of the most common Greek words used in dinosaur names, along with their English equivalents. If you want to have some fun, try assembling your own fictional dinosaur from the ingredients below (heres a nonsense example to get you started: Tristyracocephalogallus, or the extremely rare three-headed spiky chicken.) Numbers Mono OneDi TwoTri ThreeTetra FourPenta Five Body Parts Brachio ArmCephalo HeadCerato HornCheirus HandColepio KnuckleDactyl FingerDerma SkinDon, dont ToothGnathus JawLopho CrestNychus ClawOphthalmo EyeOps FacePhysis FacePtero WingPteryx FeatherRhampho BeakRhino NoseRhyncho SnoutTholus DomeTrachelo Neck Animal Types Anato DuckAvis BirdCetio WhaleCyno DogDraco DragonGallus ChickenHippus HorseIchthyo FishMus MouseOrnitho, Ornis BirdSaurus LizardStruthio OstrichSuchus CrocodileTaurus Bull Size and Shape Baro HeavyBrachy ShortMacro BigMegalo HugeMicro SmallMorpho ShapedNano TinyNodo KnobbedPlaco, Platy FlatSphaero RoundTitano GiantPachy ThickSteno NarrowStyraco Spiked Behavior Archo RulingCarno Meat-eatingDeino, Dino TerribleDromeus RunnerGracili GracefulLestes RobberMimus MimicRaptor Hunter, ThiefRex KingTyranno TyrantVeloci Fast Times, Places, and Assorted Features Antarcto AntarcticArchaeo AncientAustro SouthernChasmo CleftCoelo HollowCrypto HiddenEo DawnEu Original, FirstHetero DifferentHydro WaterLago LakeMio MioceneNycto NightOvi EggPara Near, AlmostPelta ShieldPlio PliocenePro, Proto BeforeSarco FleshStego RoofThalasso Ocean