dimetrodon

di·met·ro·don

D5231650 (dī-mĕt′rə-dŏn′)n. Any of various carnivorous pelycosaurs of the genus Dimetrodon of the Permian Period, having long spines on the back that supported a sail-like structure, and powerful jaws with sharp teeth.

---

[New Latin Dimetrodōn, genus name : Greek di-, two; see di-¹ + Greek metron, measure; see mē- in Indo-European roots + Greek odōn, tooth (from its having two different kinds of teeth); see dent- in Indo-European roots.]

di•met•ro•don

(daɪˈmɛ trəˌdɒn)

n. an extinct carnivorous mammallike reptile of the North American Permian genus Dimetrodon, with high spines along the back. [< New Latin (1878) = Greek dímetr(os) having two measures (see dimeter) + odṓn tooth]

di·met·ro·don

(dī-mĕt′rə-dŏn′) An extinct, meat-eating reptile of the Permian Period having a body similar to an alligator's but with a tall, curved sail on its back. The sail had a thick network of blood vessels and may have been used to regulate the animal's body temperature. The dimetrodon belonged to the early group of reptiles that many scientists believe was ancestral to mammals.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

dimetrodon - carnivorous dinosaur of the Permian in North America having a crest or dorsal sailsynapsid, synapsid reptile - extinct reptile having a single pair of lateral temporal openings in the skullgenus Dimetrodon - a reptile genus of Pelycosauria