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cryptozoic

[krip-tuh-zoh-ik]
adjective
  1. (initial capital letter) Geology. of or relating to that part of Precambrian time whose stratigraphic record yields only sparse, primitive fossils.
  2. Zoology. living in concealed or secluded places.
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noun
  1. (initial capital letter) Geology. the part of Precambrian time whose stratigraphic record yields only sparse, primitive fossils.
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Origin of cryptozoic

First recorded in 1890–95; crypto- + zo- + -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for cryptozoic

cryptozoic

adjective
  1. (of animals) living in dark places, such as holes, caves, and beneath stones
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Cryptozoic

adjective
  1. of or relating to that part of geological time represented by rocks in which the evidence of life is slight and the life forms are primitive; pre-Phanerozoic
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noun
  1. the Cryptozoic the Cryptozoic era
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See also PrecambrianCompare Phanerozoic
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