Where does “dinosaur” come from?

dinosaur (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Ancient Greek δεινός, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ, from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- — claw, nail; nail.

dinosaur (Norwegian Bokmål): a dinosaur

Definitions

  1. a dinosaur

Ancestry of “dinosaur”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekδεινόςterrible, horrible, fearful, astounding; danger;...
2Ancient Greekὄνυξclaw, nail, hoof, talon; Anything which resembles...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃nogʰ-claw, nail; nail
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃nogʰ- →Every word from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ →Every word from Ancient Greek δεινός →
dinosaur — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer