Precambrian

or Pre-Cam·bri·an

[ pree-kam-bree-uhn, -keym- ]

adjective
  1. noting or pertaining to the earliest era of earth history, ending 570 million years ago, during which the earth's crust formed and life first appeared in the seas.

noun
  1. the Precambrian Era.

Origin of Precambrian

1
First recorded in 1860–65; pre- + Cambrian

Words Nearby Precambrian

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How to use Precambrian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Precambrian

Precambrian

Pre-Cambrian

/ (priːˈkæmbrɪən) /


adjective
  1. of, denoting, or formed in the earliest geological era, which lasted for about 4 000 000 000 years before the Cambrian period

noun
  1. the Precambrian the Precambrian era: See Archaeozoic, Proterozoic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Precambrian

Precambrian

[ prē-kămbrē-ən, -kām- ]


  1. The period of geologic time between Hadean Time and the Phanerozoic Eon, from about 3.8 billion to 540 million years ago. During the Precambrian Eon, which is divided into the Archean and Proterozoic, primitive forms of life first appeared on Earth. See Chart at geologic time.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.