Name Meanings

How Dinosaurs Get Their Names: The Magic of Greek and Latin

Have you ever wondered how dinosaurs get their fascinating names? It might seem like a tricky puzzle, but it’s actually a bit like learning a secret language. Most dinosaur names are created using words from Greek and Latin, two ancient languages. These names tell us interesting things about the dinosaurs, like what they looked like, where they were found, or how they behaved. Let’s dive into the world of dinosaur naming!

Name	Meaning	Greek derived from	e.g.
archus, arch	ruler	archos	Archelon, Andrewsarchus
cephal	head	kephale	Pachycephalosaurus, Euoplocephalus
cera, ceros	horn(ed)	keras	Triceratops, Ceratosaurus
di	two	di	Dimetrodon, Dimorphodon
dino, deino	terrible	deino	Dinosaur, Deinosuchus
eo	early or dawn	Greek goddess of the dawn, Eos	Eoraptor, Eotriceratops
eu	true / well	eus	Euoplocephalus, Eudimorphodon
giga, gigant	giant	gigas	Giganotosaurus, Gigantopithecus
mega, megal	great	megas	Megalodon, Megalosaurus
mimus	mimic	mimikos	Gallimimus, Suchomimus
morph	form or shape	morph	Dimorphodon, Sauropodomorph
odon, odont, odus	tooth(ed)	odon	Iguanodon, Pteranodon
ops, opsis	face	opsis	Pentaceratops, Moschops
ornith	bird	ornis	Ornithomimus, Ornithischia
pachy	thick	pachys	Pachyrhinosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus
para	near to	para	Paraceratherium, Parasaurolophus
pod	foot	pod (Latin)	Theropod, Sauropod
ptero, pteryx	wing(ed)	pteron	Pterodactylus, Pteranodon
raptor	thief	raptor (Latin)	Microraptor, Velociraptor
saur, sauro or saurus	lizard	sauros	Dinosaur, Sauropod
ischia	hipped	ischion	Ornithischia, Saurischia
suchus, sucho	crocodile	soukhos	Sarcosuchus, Suchomimus
therium, thero	beast	therion	Megatherium, Theropod
titan	titanic	titan	Patagotitan, Titanoboa

Why Greek and Latin?

Greek and Latin are used for naming dinosaurs (and many other scientific things) because they are “dead” languages. This means they aren’t changing anymore, so the meanings of the words stay the same over time. Scientists all over the world can understand and agree on what these names mean.

The Building Blocks of Names

Dinosaur names are often made up of two parts, just like a first name and a last name. The first part usually tells us something about the dinosaur’s genus (a group of related animals), and the second part often describes something specific about that dinosaur, like its species.

For example:

• Tyrannosaurus rex: “Tyranno” means tyrant in Greek, and “saurus” means lizard. “Rex” means king in Latin. So, Tyrannosaurus rex means “tyrant lizard king”!

Common Words in Dinosaur Names

Here are some Greek and Latin words you’ll often see in dinosaur names and what they mean:

• Saurus (Greek): Lizard or reptile (e.g., Brachiosaurus – “arm lizard”)
• Ceratops (Greek): Horned face (e.g., Triceratops – “three-horned face”)
• Raptor (Latin): Thief or plunderer (e.g., Velociraptor – “swift thief”)
• Don (Greek): Tooth (e.g., Iguanodon – “iguana tooth”)
• Pteryx (Greek): Wing (e.g., Archaeopteryx – “ancient wing”)
• Ops (Greek): Face (e.g., Styracosaurus – “spiked face”)

Naming After Places and People

Sometimes, dinosaurs are named after the places where they were found or after the people who discovered them. For example:

• Argentinosaurus: Named after Argentina, where its fossils were found.
• Camarasaurus: Named by scientists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, using the Greek word “kamara,” meaning chamber, because of the hollow chambers in its vertebrae.

Descriptive Names

Many dinosaur names describe something unique about the dinosaur. This could be its physical features, like the shape of its body or head, or its behavior. For example:

• Brachiosaurus: “Brachio” means arm in Greek, and “saurus” means lizard, so Brachiosaurus means “arm lizard,” describing its long front legs.
• Stegosaurus: “Stego” means roof or covered, and “saurus” means lizard, so Stegosaurus means “roofed lizard,” referring to the plates on its back.

Fun with Combining Words

Scientists often get creative by combining different Greek and Latin words to form new dinosaur names. For instance:

• Microraptor: “Micro” means small, and “raptor” means thief, so Microraptor means “small thief.”

Naming Dinosaurs is Like Solving a Puzzle

Creating a new dinosaur name is like putting together a puzzle. Scientists carefully choose words that describe the dinosaur in the best possible way. They think about what makes that dinosaur special and use Greek and Latin words to form a name that tells a story about it.

Next time you hear a dinosaur name, see if you can figure out what it means! Understanding these names helps us learn more about these incredible creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. Happy dino naming!