azoic

¹ American  

[uh-zoh-ik, ey-] / əˈzoʊ ɪk, eɪ- /

adjective

Geology.

1. (formerly) noting or pertaining to the Precambrian Era, especially that part formerly believed to precede the first appearance of life; Archean.

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azoic ² American  

[a-zoh-ik] / æˈzoʊ ɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the azo group.

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azoic British  

/ əˈzəʊɪk, eɪ- /

adjective

1. without life; characteristic of the ages that have left no evidence of life in the form of organic remains

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Etymology

Origin of azoic¹

1840–50; < Greek ázō ( os ) lifeless ( see azo-) + -ic

Origin of azoic²

azo- + -ic

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

azoic

Scientists long ago clung to the "azoic hypothesis" about the deep -- the presumption that nothing could possibly be alive so far from the photosynthetic world.

From Washington Post ● May 16, 2010

It is a mistake to call this lake azoic.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 78, April, 1864 by Various

The total absence of any trace of fossils has inclined many geologists to attribute the origin of the most ancient strata to an azoic period, or one antecedent to the existence of organic beings.

From The Student's Elements of Geology by Sir Charles Lyell

In the azoic period of our earth there was no life on it.

From The Christian Foundation, Or, Scientific and Religious Journal, Volume I, No. 11, November, 1880 by Aaron Walker

Geologists have divided a few years of the worlds history into periods, reaching from the azoic rocks to the soil of our time.

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 4 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Lectures by Robert Green Ingersoll