Where does “dinosaurus” come from?

dinosaurus (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek δεινός, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- — claw, nail; nail.

dinosaurus (Latin): any of the animals belonging to the clade Dinosauria, especially those that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct

Definitions

any of the animals belonging to the clade Dinosauria, especially those that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct

Ancestry of “dinosaurus”, step by step

dinosaurus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Ancient Greek δεινός

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Ancient Greek	δεινός	terrible, horrible, fearful, astounding; danger;...
2	Ancient Greek	ὄνυξ	claw, nail, hoof, talon; Anything which resembles...
3	Proto-Indo-European	h₃nogʰ-	claw, nail; nail

via Ancient Greek σαῦρος

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Ancient Greek	σαῦρος	Alternative form of σαύρᾱ; horse mackerel
2	Ancient Greek	σαύρα	lizard

Words derived from “dinosaurus”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- →Every word from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ →Every word from Ancient Greek δεινός →