Carboniferous
[ kahr-buh-nif-er-uhs ]
/ ˌkɑr bəˈnɪf ər əs /
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adjective
noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, including the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian periods as epochs, occurring from 345 million to 280 million years ago.
(lowercase) producing carbon or coal.
noun
the Carboniferous Period or System.
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OTHER WORDS FROM Carboniferous
post-Car·bon·if·er·ous, adjectivepre-Car·bon·if·er·ous, adjectiveWords nearby Carboniferous
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Carboniferous in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Carboniferous (1 of 2)
carboniferous
/ (ˌkɑːbəˈnɪfərəs) /
adjective
yielding coal or carbon
British Dictionary definitions for Carboniferous (2 of 2)
Carboniferous
/ (ˌkɑːbəˈnɪfərəs) /
adjective
of, denoting, or formed in the fifth period of the Palaeozoic era, between the Devonian and Permian periods, lasting for nearly 64 million years during which coal measures were formed
noun
the Carboniferous the Carboniferous period or rock system
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Scientific definitions for Carboniferous
Carboniferous
[ kär′bə-nĭf′ər-əs ]
The period of geologic time from about 360 to 286 million years ago. The term is used throughout the world, although this period of time has been separated into the Mississippian (lower Carboniferous) and Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) in the United States. During this time, widespread swamps formed in which plant remains accumulated and later hardened into coal. See Chart at geologic time.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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