Cenozoic
UK /ˌkeɪnəʊˈzəʊɪk/ · US /ˌkɛnɵˈzoʊɪk/ adjective, proper noun
Forms Caenozoic Cænozoic Cainozoic Kainozoic
- adjective (geology) Of or pertaining to the Cenozoic era.
- proper noun (geology) A geologic era within the Phanerozoic eon comprising the Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary periods from about 65 million years ago to the present, when the continents moved to their current position and modern plants and animals evolved.
Synonyms
Etymology
From ceno- + -zoic; from Ancient Greek καινός (kainós, “new”) + ζωή (zōḗ, “life”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Belonging to the most recent division of geological time, including the tertiary, or Age of mammals, and the Quaternary, or Age of man. [Written also cænozoic, cainozoic, kainozoic.] See Geology.
Etymology [Gr. (Geol.) Defn: Belonging to the most recent division of geological time, including the tertiary, or Age of mammals, and the Quaternary, or Age of man. [Written also cænozoic, cainozoic, kainozoic.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Cenozoic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details