Jurassic

[ joo-ras-ik ]

/ dʒʊˈræs ɪk /

Geology

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adjective

noting or pertaining to a period of the Mesozoic Epoch, occurring from 190 to 140 million years ago and characterized by an abundance of dinosaurs and the advent of birds and mammals.

noun

the Jurassic Period or System.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Jurassic

First recorded in 1825–35; Jur(a) + -assic, suffix extracted from Triassic; compare French jurassique

OTHER WORDS FROM Jurassic

post-Ju·ras·sic, adjective

Words nearby Jurassic

jupon, jura, jural, juramentado, Jura Mountains, Jurassic, jurat, juration, juratory, Jur. D., jure divino

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

How to use Jurassic in a sentence

Despite the scary name, modern vampire squid are docile denizens of the deep sea — but their Jurassic ancestors may have been a lot fiercer.
Vampire squid are gentle blobs. But this ancestor was a fierce hunter|Carolyn Gramling|June 23, 2022|Science News
Still, “I think they did very well,” says Horner of the films’ depiction of Jurassic life.
Cool Jobs: Bringing paleontology to the people|Beth Geiger|June 9, 2022|Science News For Students
The embryos confirmed that the fossils were all Mussaurus patagonicus—a plant-eating dinosaur of the early Jurassic period that is considered a sauropodomorph, a predecessor of the massive, long-necked sauropods.
Social life in the Jurassic|Jennifer Chu|February 23, 2022|MIT Technology Review
“I think it would be really neat to make a version of the map that shows the arrangements of the continents in periods such as the Triassic and the Jurassic,” says Nizar Ibrahim.
Earth as you’ve never seen it before|Avery Elizabeth Hurt|April 19, 2021|Science News For Students

Fossils show that this most famous of dinosaurs evolved tens of millions of years after the Jurassic ended.
Scientists Say: Jurassic|Carolyn Wilke|May 4, 2020|Science News For Students
Does all this mean that a robo-Jurassic Park is coming soon to a neighborhood near you?
Meet Our Animal Robot Overlords|James Joiner|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pratt, of course, just exploded with Guardians of the Galaxy and the upcoming lead in Jurassic World.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Reveal Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt’s Plans For ‘Ghostbusters’ Film|William Boot|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yes, there are the usual references to color-changing T-shirts and Jurassic Park, but it feels more warranted than throwaway here.
Fall-Winter TV Preview: Snap Judgments of 2013–14’s New Shows|Jace Lacob, Kevin Fallon|July 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ramin Setoodeh went and found a roomful of adults in Jurassic Park costumes.
Macaulay Culkin’s Life After Fame|Ramin Setoodeh|June 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Natalie Suarez, 25, fashioned her green hoodie to look like a Dilophosaurus, the poison-spitting dinosaur from Jurassic Park.
Macaulay Culkin’s Life After Fame|Ramin Setoodeh|June 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The foot plateau which succeeds is composed of sedimentary rocks dating from Trias to Jurassic.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
This shallow-water phase existed throughout Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous times.
The Principles of Stratigraphical Geology|J. E. Marr
The first is the Jurassic Belt, sweeping along the border of the The eastern division.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 4|Various
At the end of the Jurassic period and later this great plain was part of a sea bed.
The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir|Sir James McCrone Douie
This formation is of Upper Jurassic age, corresponding to the well-known beds of marine origin preserved in Cutch.
The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir|Sir James McCrone Douie

British Dictionary definitions for Jurassic

Jurassic

/ (dʒʊˈræsɪk) /

adjective

of, denoting, or formed in the second period of the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods, lasting for 55 million years during which dinosaurs and ammonites flourished

noun

the Jurassic the Jurassic period or rock system

Word Origin for Jurassic

C19: from French jurassique, after the Jura (Mountains)

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 Jurassic

Jurassic

[ ju-răs′ĭk ]

The second and middle period of the Mesozoic Era, from about 208 to 144 million years ago. During this time the supercontinent Pangaea continued to split up and numerous shallow seas inundated the new continents. Dinosaurs were the dominant form of terrestrial animal life, and the earliest birds appeared. Marine life was dominated by ammonites and belemnites, and sponges, corals, bryozoa, and gastropods all flourished. Gymnosperms and cycads were the dominant land plants. See Chart at geologic time.