Definition of deinotherium in English:
deinotherium
(also deinothere)
nounPlural deinotheriums, Plural deinotheriaˌdʌɪnə(ʊ)ˈθɪərɪəmˌdīnəˈTHirēəm
A fossil elephant-like mammal found mainly in the Pliocene epoch, the lower jaw having tusks curving downwards and backwards.
恐象
Genus Deinotherium, suborder Deinotherioidea, order Proboscidea
Example sentencesExamples
- It is a member of a group called the deinotheres which were cousins to the elephants.
- The name deinothere is based on the Greek for ‘terrible beast’, as 19th century naturalists believed that it was a sea monster.
- Imagine a landscape inhabited by several kinds of elephantoids, deinotheres, three species of rhino, two species of hippo, and two species of giraffe.
- These ancient species were lying side by side with more advanced forms called deinotheres and gomphotheres, which were not previously known to exist until 20 million years ago.
- By the Early Miocene, deinotheres had grown to the size of a small elephant, and had migrated to Eurasia.
Origin
Modern Latin, from Greek deinos 'terrible' + thērion 'wild beast'.