Hercynian

/ (hɜːˈsɪnɪən) /

adjective

denoting a period of mountain building in Europe in the late Palaeozoic

Word Origin for Hercynian

C16: from Latin Hercynia silva the Hercynian forest (i.e., the wooded mountains of central Germany, esp the Erzgebirge)

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

Examples from the Web for hercynian

Hercynian, her-sin′i-an, adj. of or pertaining to the forest-covered mountain region of northern Germany—apart the Harz Mountains.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various
A poetic atmosphere from the Hercynian woods and the monuments of ancient days surrounded our lives.
The Story Of My Life From Childhood To Manhood|Georg Ebers
Its surface is controlled throughout by the “Hercynian” folds, running from the Kerry border eastward to the sea at Youghal.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 4|Various
The god Thor was blessed because he had driven them, armed as he was with his famous iron mace, all across the Hercynian forest.
Myths of the Rhine|X. B. Saintine

Beginning at the Hercynian forest are the Catti, a robust and vigorous people, possessed also of much sense292 and ability.
The World's Greatest Books -- Vol XX -- Miscellaneous Literature and Index|Various

Word Origin and History for hercynian

Hercynian

adj.

1580s, designating the forest-covered mountains of ancient Germany, from Latin Hercynia (silva) "Hercynian (forest)," related to Greek Orkynios drymos, probably from Old Celtic *Perkunya, from PIE *perq(o)- "oak, oak forest, wooded mountain" (see fir).