Literary notes about saurian (AI summary)
The term "saurian" occupies a rich and multifaceted role in literature, oscillating between scientific classification and vivid, sometimes monstrous, characterization. In some works, it denotes actual prehistoric reptiles or scientifically classified creatures—with precise taxonomic descriptions hinting at their ancient origins [1, 2, 3]—while in others it paints a picture of ominous, reptilian beings that evoke primal fear or mystique, as when a creature is depicted with jaws agape and malevolent eyes [4] or when its colossal form stirs terror on both land and water [5, 6]. Beyond the literal, the word is also employed metaphorically to characterize human behavior and features; a character might be said to wear a "saurian smile" or exude a rage reminiscent of predatory reptiles, thereby imbuing them with an unsettling, otherworldly aura [7, 8, 9]. In this way, "saurian" bridges the realms of natural history and imaginative myth, rendering the prehistoric as both a tangible creature and a powerful symbol in narrative art [10, 11].
- Saurian reptiles, distinct tribes of, 254 .
— from On the Connexion of the Physical Sciences by Mary Somerville - 509 Newt Lacerta aquatica Triton aquaticus 510 Great Newt Triton balustris 511 Section III. —SAURIAN REPTILES.
— from Mrs. Loudon's Entertaining Naturalist Being popular descriptions, tales, and anecdotes of more than Five Hundred Animals. by Mrs. (Jane) Loudon - An animal of the saurian or lizard tribe, species of which are found in both the fossil and recent state.
— from Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir - The monster saurian, expecting to have a porker for supper, swam on, with jaws open, its wicked eye turned towards me.
— from In the Wilds of Florida: A Tale of Warfare and Hunting by William Henry Giles Kingston - By the time he laid hold of it, however, the saurian was no longer on dry ground.
— from The Forest Exiles: The Perils of a Peruvian Family in the Wilds of the Amazon by Mayne Reid - It has by some authors truly been called the whale of the saurian race, for it is as big and quick in its motions as our king of the seas.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - Jonkvank stopped, his face contorted with saurian rage.
— from Ullr Uprising by H. Beam Piper - Art squeaked as Tom filled his screen, then passed by, swinging his head from side to side with saurian rage.
— from Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow - Goode favored the detective with a saurian smile.
— from Murder in the Gunroom by H. Beam Piper - Spontaneously to seek out the saurian’s lair in order to entrust their teats to his avid suction.
— from Ulysses by James Joyce - Cuvier was the first to detect the truth, and to prove, from its organisation, that the animal was a Saurian.
— from The World Before the Deluge by Louis Figuier
