Where does “首長竜” come from?

首長竜 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 長, from Middle Chinese 長.

首長竜 (Japanese): a plesiosaur

Definitions

  1. a plesiosaur

Ancestry of “首長竜”, step by step

首長竜 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 長

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese長chief, head, leader; strong point; major
2Middle Chinese長—

via Japanese 首

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese首neck; the neck and head as a whole; dismissal...
2Middle Chinese首—

via Japanese 竜

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese竜a Chinese dragon
2Middle Chinese龍—
Every word from Middle Chinese 長 →Every word from Japanese 長 →