Cambrian

[ kam-bree-uhn ]

/ ˈkæm bri ən /

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adjective

Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, occurring from 570 million to 500 million years ago, when algae and marine invertebrates were the predominant form of life.

of or relating to Cambria; Welsh.

noun

Geology. the Cambrian Period or System.

a native of Cambria; Welshman.

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Origin of Cambrian

1580–90; <Medieval Latin Cambri(a) Wales, Latinization of MWelsh Cymry Wales, literally Welshmen (see Cymry) + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM Cambrian

post-Cam·bri·an, adjective

Words nearby Cambrian

camboose, Camborne-Redruth, Cambrai, cambrel, Cambria, Cambrian, Cambrian Explosion, Cambrian Mountains, cambric, cambric tea, Cambridge

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

How to use Cambrian in a sentence

In particular, the researchers looked at four ancient penis worm specimens that lived in cast-offs from hyoliths, a Cambrian creature with conical shells.
Ancient penis worms used protection on the seabed|Margo Milanowski|November 8, 2021|Popular-Science
Now, Smith and his colleagues say that they have unearthed fossils of hermiting creatures almost three times that age, from a geologic period dubbed the Cambrian.
‘Penis worms’ may have been the original hermits|Sid Perkins|November 8, 2021|Science News
These so-called “hard parts” first appear in rocks deposited during the Cambrian explosion, slightly less than 540 million years ago.
Animal Evolution: Fossil Discovery Hints First Animals Lived Nearly 900 Million Years Ago|Elizabeth C. Turner|October 31, 2021|Singularity Hub
These might have included the meter-long Anomalocaris canadensis, the only Cambrian radiodont known to surpass Titanokorys in size.
This ancient ‘mothership’ used probing ‘fingers’ to scrape the ocean floor for prey|Kate Baggaley|September 9, 2021|Popular-Science

There’s energy and innovation reinvigorating the sector and bringing about a Cambrian explosion of bizarre designs for special purposes, like AI.
IBM’s New Chip Technology Shows Off the Next Big Step in Moore’s Law|Jason Dorrier|May 9, 2021|Singularity Hub
Then in the Cambrian era, around 570 million years ago, recognizably complex animal life evolved, including vertebrate ancestors.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen.|Matthew R. Francis|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Mid-Wales like the Cambrian, had had a chequered early career.
The Story of the Cambrian|C. P. Gasquoine
But of the Cambrian as we know it to-day there will be something more to be said presently.
The Story of the Cambrian|C. P. Gasquoine
But it is not only in length that the Cambrian has developed in recent years.
The Story of the Cambrian|C. P. Gasquoine
But the Cambrian had stout friends to put in the witness-box.
The Story of the Cambrian|C. P. Gasquoine
It was leased to the Cambrian, but got into Chancery and was closed a few years later.
The Story of the Cambrian|C. P. Gasquoine

British Dictionary definitions for Cambrian

Cambrian

/ (ˈkæmbrɪən) /

adjective

of, denoting, or formed in the first 65 million years of the Palaeozoic era, during which marine invertebrates, esp trilobites, flourished

of or relating to Wales

noun

the Cambrian the Cambrian period or rock system

a Welsh person

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 Cambrian

Cambrian

[ kăm′brē-ən, kām′- ]

The first period of the Paleozoic Era, from about 540 to 505 million years ago. During this time warm seas and desert land areas were widespread, and animal life diversified rapidly during what is known as the Cambrian Explosion. See Chart at geologic time.