CRETACEOUS

Cretaceous

(adjective) of or relating to or denoting the third period of the Mesozoic era

cretaceous

(adjective) abounding in chalk

Cretaceous, Cretaceous period

(noun) from 135 million to 63 million years ago; end of the age of reptiles; appearance of modern insects and flowering plants

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

cretaceous (not comparable)

Of or relating to chalk.

Consisting of chalk.

Etymology

Proper noun

Cretaceous

(geology) The geologic period within the Mesozoic era that comprises lower and upper epochs from about 146 to 66 million years ago.

Source: Wiktionary


Cre*ta"ceous (kr-t"shs), a. Etym: [L. cretaceus, fr. creta chalk. See Crayon.]

Definition: Having the qualities of chalk;abounding with chalk; chalky; as, cretaceous rocks and formations. See Chalk. Cretaceous acid, an old name for carbonic acid.

– Cretaceous formation (Geol.), the series of strata of various kinds, including beds of chalk, green sand, etc., formed in the Cretaceous period; -- called also the chalk formation. See the Diagram under Geology.

– Cretaceous period (Geol.), the time in the latter part of the Mesozoic age during which the Cretaceous formation was deposited.

Cre*ta"ceous, a. Also Cre*tac"ic. (Geol.)

Definition: Of, pertaining to, or designating, the period of time following the Jurassic and preceding the Eocene.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

24 December 2024

INTUITIVELY

(adverb) in an intuitive manner; “inventors seem to have chosen intuitively a combination of explosive and aggressive sounds as warning signals to be used on automobiles”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Decaffeinated coffee comes from a chemical process that takes out caffeine from the beans. Pharmaceutical and soda companies buy the extracted caffeine.

coffee icon