Carboniferous

American  

[kahr-buh-nif-er-uhs] / ˌkɑr bəˈnɪf ər əs /

adjective

1. 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.

2. (lowercase) producing carbon or coal.

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noun

1. the Carboniferous Period or System.

carboniferous ¹ British  

/ ˌkɑːbəˈnɪfərəs /

adjective

1. yielding coal or carbon

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Carboniferous ² British  

/ ˌkɑːbəˈnɪfərəs /

adjective

1. 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

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noun

1. the Carboniferous period or rock system

Carboniferous Scientific  

/ kär′bə-nĭf′ər-əs /

1. 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.

2. See Chart at geologic time

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Other Word Forms

• post-Carboniferous adjective
• pre-Carboniferous adjective

Etymology

Origin of Carboniferous

1790–1800; < Latin carbōn- (stem of carbō ) coal + -i- + -ferous

Example Sentences

The fossil was identified as a temnospondyl, a predecessor to modern amphibians that survived over a 200 million year duration spanning from the Carboniferous to the Triassic periods.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2024

The researchers identified the fossil as a temnospondyl, a diverse group of primitive amphibian relatives that lived for over 200 million years from the Carboniferous to the Triassic periods.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2024

Carboniferous is now applying for permission to test its strategy from the Environmental Protection Agency.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 22, 2023

Texas’ ancient outcrops record broad swaths of the last 300 million years, including Carboniferous coal swamps, dinosaur-filled floodplains and Cenozoic savannas.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2023

Perhaps if one less dragonfly had drowned in the Carboniferous swamps, the intelligent organisms on our planet today would have feathers and teach their young in rookeries.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan