Paleozoic

[ pey-lee-uh-zoh-ik or, especially British, pal-ee- ]

adjective

noting or pertaining to an era occurring between 570 million and 230 million years ago, characterized by the advent of fish, insects, and reptiles.

noun

Origin of Paleozoic

1830–40; paleo- + -zoic<Greek zōïkós pertaining to animals; see zo-, -ic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Eastward tilting and deposition of Martinsburg shale; oscillations during later Paleozoic time.
History and Comprehensive Description of Loudoun County, Virginia | James W. Head
Turning to the Paleozoic Amphibia, there are two groups in which some likelihood of a relationship with modern order exists.
The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the Evidence | Theodore H. Eaton
The blastoids became more abundant in the Devonian, culminated in the Carboniferous, and disappeared at the end of the Paleozoic.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon Norton
The deformation therefore took place about the close of the Paleozoic.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon Norton
Evidently the lands within the Arctic Circle enjoyed a warm and genial climate, as they had done during the Paleozoic.
The Elements of Geology | William Harmon Norton

Paleozoic

[ pā′lē-ə-zō′ĭk ]

The era of geologic time from about 540 to 245 million years ago. The beginning of the Paleozoic Era is characterized by a great diversity of marine invertebrate animals. Primitive fish and reptiles, land plants, and insects also first appeared during this time. The end of the Paleozoic is marked by the largest recorded mass extinction in the Earth's history, which wiped out nearly 90% of known marine life forms. See Chart at geologic time.

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