Proboscidian definitions and example sentences on Wordnik

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In this immense proboscidian, whose skull was three feet long, the upper pair of tusks had disappeared, and those of the lower jaw were bent down with a backward curve in walrus fashion In the true ELEPHANTS, which do not appear until near the close of the Tertiary, the lower jaw loses its tusks and the grinding teeth become exceedingly complex in structure.

—The Elements of Geology

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Definitions (5)

American Heritage Dictionary (2)

noun A mammal of the order Proboscidea, such as the elephant or its extinct relatives, having a long trunk, large tusks, and a massive body.
adjective Of or belonging to the order Proboscidea.

Century Dictionary (1)

GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

WordNet (1)

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Examples (7)

In this immense proboscidian, whose skull was three feet long, the upper pair of tusks had disappeared, and those of the lower jaw were bent down with a backward curve in walrus fashion In the true ELEPHANTS, which do not appear until near the close of the Tertiary, the lower jaw loses its tusks and the grinding teeth become exceedingly complex in structure. — The Elements of Geology
How dare he denigrate the volant proboscidian? — Buridan's Ass
Mastodon arvernensis, a large proboscidian, characteristic of the — The Antiquity of Man
A proboscidian came next with four short tusks, and in the Miocene there followed a Mastodon (Fig. 346) armed with two pairs of long, straight tusks on which rested a flexible proboscis. — The Elements of Geology
In this immense proboscidian, whose skull was three feet long, the upper pair of tusks had disappeared, and those of the lower jaw were bent down with a backward curve in walrus fashion. — The Elements of Geology