Re: List of Dinosaur Name Incorrectly Translated All-too-often

[pharrinj@PLU.edu]

On Sun, 7 Jan 1996 RaptorRKC@aol.com wrote:

> To all:
> 
> Speaking of the translation of dinosaur names, I have a list (oh no! not
> another one!) of dinosaur genera and species I see translated differently in
> nearly every book I read, or genera and species I don't know the meaning of
> at all.  Since I am so impatient to see that list of CORRECT translations, if
> it ever gets published, I would highly appreciate it of any of you familiar
> with Greek and Latin could tell me what the names of the following genera
> REALLY mean.  You know, what Greek, Latin, et al. (I don't even know if I
> using this term correctly!), terms are used to form the words, what the words
> mean (please list the several meanings of a word if necessary), and why the
> namer gave the animal that name.  Or, simply, list the meaning of the word
> that the namer of the genus/species was referring to.
> 
> Thanks a bunch!  Have fun!
> 
> ________________________________

Can't help with all of them, but I've had both Greek and Latin, so I'll 
give some a shot.

> 
> 1) _Torosaurus latus_
"wide pierced lizard"

> 2) _Antrodemus_
> 3) _Eustreptospondylus oxoniensis_
"true reversed vertebra from Oxford"

> 4) _sarcophagus_

"flesh-eating"
> 5) _Chasmosaurus_
"hole lizard"

> 6) _Acanthopholis_
> 7) _Ingenia_
"from Ingen"

> 8) _Abrictosaurus consors_
> 9) _atokensis_
"from Atoka"

> 10) _rionegrinus_
"?from Rio Negro (i.e. the Black River)"

> 11) _Aetonyx_
"ancient claw"

> 12) _Apatosaurus_
> 13) _ajax_
> 14) _Agathaumas_
> 15) _Aepisaurus elephanticus_
"elephant-like elephant lizard"

> 16) _incrassatus_
> 17) _Alectrosaurus_
> 18) _bauri_
"of Baur"

> 19) _Aliwalia_
"from Aliwal (location in South Africa)"

> 20) _Epanterias_
who knows?

> 21) _Creosaurus_
"flesh lizard"

> 22) _Amphicoelias_
"?hollowed on both sides"

> 23) _Anchiceratops ornatus_
"decorated close lizard"

> 24) _polyzelus_
> 25) _Ankylosaurus magniventris_
"fused lizard of the large stomach"

> 26) _Anoplosaurus curtonotus_
Anoplosaurus = "non-armored lizard"

> 27) _Nodosaurus_
> 28) _planinychus_
"flat-clawed"

> 29) _Antarctosaurus wichmannianus_
"Wichmann's antarctic lizard"

> 30) _ischiaticus_
"?possessing an ischium"

> 31) _Grallator_
"stilt walker", I think

> 32) _Eubrontes_
"true thunder"

> 33) _tuberferus_
it's _tuberiferus_, and I'm not sure

> 34) _salsopaludalis_
> 35) _Aublysodon_
> 36) _portentosus_
> 37) _Bactrosaurus_
"Bactria (region in Pakistan) lizard"

> 38) _Barapasaurus_
"big leg lizard" (Hindi: bara=big, p=leg)

> 39) _bauxiticus_
"pertaining to bauxite" (aluminum ore)

> 40)  _gracilicrus_
"slender leg"

> 41) _Bothriospondylus suffocus_
_B. suffosus_, ?

> 42) _altithorax_
"high chest"

> 43) _Brachyrophus_
Grk. brachys=short

> 44) _Bradycneme_
"slow shin"

> 45) _Camptonotus_
> 46) _Scelidosaurus_
"limb lizard"

> 47) _Cetiosaurus_
"whale lizard" (<Lat. cetus=whale)

> 48) _nanum_
"small" (neuter gender)

> 49) _Cardiodon rugolosus_
cardiodon = "heart tooth"

> 50) _laminaplacodus_
> 51) _mariscalensis_
"from Mariscal"

> 52) _lacustris_
> 53) _pergracilis_
"completely slender; very slender"

> 54) _Chondrosteosaurus_
"cartilege bone lizard"

> 55) _insignis_
> 56) _Cionodon arctatus_
> 57) _trihedrus_
> 58) _Claosaurus_
"?goose lizard"

> 59) _Clasmodosaurus spatula_
> 60) _Coelurus_
"hollow tail"

> 61) _casuarius_
"like a cassowary"

> 62) _Hypacrosaurus_
"below top lizard" (Grk. hypo=below, akros=top)

> 63) _lepidophorus_
"scale-bearing"

> 64) _Cryptodraco eumerus_
cryptus = hidden, draco = dragon

> 65) _Dacentrurus_
"well-pointed tail"

> 66) _antirrhopus_
> 67) _Dicraeosaurus_
"fork lizard"

> 68) _Diplodocus_
> 69) _nisti_
"of NIST (the National Institute of Science and Technology, I think)"

> 70) _brevitertius_
> 71) _Dryptosaurus aquilunguis_
"eagle-clawed (Lat. aquila=eagle, unguis=claw; hoof) wounding lizard"

> 72) _Dynamosaurus imperiosus_
Grk. dynamis = power

> 73) _Troodon formosus_
"beautiful wounding tooth"

> 74) _inequalis_
"unequal"

> 75) _Dyoplosaurus_
"doubly armored lizard"

> 76) _Dysalotosaurus_
> 77) _Dysganus encaustus_
> 78) _Dyslocosaurus polyonychius_
many-clawed (Grk. polys=many, nyx=claw) bad place lizard (Grk. dys=bad; 
Lat. locus=place)

> 79) _Dystrophaeus_
"wasted" (literally "turned bad")

> 80) _longiceps_
> 81) _rugosidens_
"rough tooth"

> 82) _Echinodon_
"spiny tooth"

> 83) _regalis_
"regal"

> 84) _annectens_
> 85) _lunensis_
"from the moon" (a reference to Valley of the Moons, another name for the 
Ischigualasto formation, where _Eoraptor_ was found)

> 86) _apertus_
> 87) _Euhelopus_
"good marsh foot"

> 88) _Euoplocephalus tutus_
Grk. eu=good, well; oplos=armored; kephale=head

> 89) _Euskelosaurus_
"good limb lizard"

> 90) _Gallimimus bullatus_
"chicken mimic with a bulla"

> 91) _constructus_
(the dinosaurs which bear this trivial name were found by construction crews)

> 92) _Geranosaurus atavus_
"primitive crane lizard"

> 93) _Gryposaurus_
"hook-nosed lizard"

> 94) _Halticosaurus_
> 95) _Hadrosaurus_
"big lizard" (exciting, huh?)

> 96) _Homalocephale calathocercos_
Grk. homalo- = even, same; kephale = head

> 97) _Hylaeosaurus_
> 98) _Staurikosaurus_
I've seen it explained as "cross lizard", in reference to the Southern Cross.

> 99) _Lagerpeton_

Grk. lagos = hare/rabbit, herpes, herpetos = snake
> 
> _______________________________________
> 
> Well, before I get to the big one-zero-zero, perhaps you all could just
> suggest some fine Greek-to-English and Latin-to-English dictionaries.
> 
> Ignorantly yours,
> 
> R.K. Clark
> 

There's no such thing as a stupid question.
Glad to be of service.

     Nick Pharris
     Pacific Lutheran University
     Tacoma, WA