Mesozoic

[mez-uh-zoh-ik, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-]Geology

adjective

noting or pertaining to an era occurring between 230 and 65 million years ago, characterized by the appearance of flowering plants and by the appearance and extinction of dinosaurs.

noun

the Mesozoic Era or group of systems.

Origin of Mesozoic

First recorded in 1830–40; meso- + zo- + -ic

Related formspost-Mes·o·zo·ic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mesozoic

Historical Examples of mesozoic

No remains of the horse tribe are at present known from any Mesozoic deposit.
On the Method of Zadig
Thomas Henry Huxley
They have been the ruling animals since the close of Mesozoic time.
The Prehistoric World
E. A. Allen
The one is the twilight of the Palozoic day, the other is the dawn of the Mesozoic.
The Story of the Earth and Man
J. W. Dawson
In so far as we know, it remained for the Mesozoic to introduce the birds and mammals.
The Story of the Earth and Man
J. W. Dawson
This following Mesozoic time must next engage our attention.
The Story of the Earth and Man
J. W. Dawson

British Dictionary definitions for mesozoic

Mesozoic

adjective

of, denoting, or relating to an era of geological time that began 250 000 000 years ago with the Triassic period and lasted about 185 000 000 years until the end of the Cretaceous period

noun

the Mesozoic the Mesozoic era

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

Word Origin and History for mesozoic

Mesozoic

adj.

1840, from Greek mesos "middle" (see meso-) + zoe "life" (see zoo) + -ic. Name coined by British geologist John Phillips for the fossil era "between" the Paleozoic and the Cenozoic.

mesozoic in Science

Mesozoic

[mĕz′ə-zō′ĭk]

The era of geologic time from about 245 to 65 million years ago. The Mesozoic Era was characterized by a drastic change in plants and animals. In the early part of the Mesozoic, ferns, cycads, and ginkgos were dominant; later, gymnosperms and angiosperms developed. Dinosaurs also first appeared in the Mesozoic and, with the exception of birds, became extinct at the end of the era. See Chart at geologic time.