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ix In April 1842, Richard Owen coined the term Dinosauria in a footnote on page 103 of his Report on British Fossil Reptiles, and defined this new name as meaning “fearfully great, a lizard.” Since that time the name has always, incorrectly, been translated as “terrible lizard.” How did this etymological and aesthetic error occur? Modern dictionaries always give the meaning of deinos as “terrible.” This is correct, if one uses the word as an adjective–but Owen used the superlative form of deinos, just as did Homer in the Iliad. A check of a Greek–English lexicon from Owen’s time will confirm this (Donnegan 1832). Dinosaurs are not lizards, nor are they terrible. They are, instead, the world’s most famous living superlative. J.O.F. and M.K.B.-S. Farlow, J. O., and M. K. Brett-Surman. 1997. The Complete Dinosaur. Bloom­ ington: Indiana University Press. Donnegan, J., MD. 1832. A New Greek and English Lexicon: Principally on the Plan of the Greek and German Lexicon of Schneider. First American edition from the second London edition, revised and enlarged by R. B. Patton. Boston: Hilliard , Gray. Owen, R. 1842. Report on British Fossil Reptiles. Part II. Report of the Eleventh Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 1841: 60–204. References Dinosauria D ...

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