n.
Pronunciation: ' pl ē -s ē - ə - ˌ so ̇ r, -z ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: ultimately from Greek pl ē sios close (akin to Greek pelas near) + sauros lizard
Date: 1839
: any of an order or suborder (Plesiosauria) of large carnivorous marine reptiles of the Mesozoic with dorsoventrally flattened bodies and limbs modified into flippers