Jurassic
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
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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.
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See Chart at geologic time
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Jurassic
First recorded in 1825–35; Jur(a) + -assic, suffix extracted from Triassic; compare French jurassique
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The process began after Antarctica and Africa started separating during the Jurassic Period, 201-143 million years ago.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Sam Adams writes that the cosmic horror blockbuster is a satisfying throwback to Jurassic Park.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
"This was left in the Late Jurassic when long-necked dinosaurs such as Diplodocus and Camarasaurus roamed North America," Dr. Romilio said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
If you’re going to watch one scene of his, I recommend this iconic one from Jurassic Park, the 1993 movie that made Neill famous.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
The first song that comes up on my movie score playlist is from Jurassic Park.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.