Miocene

[ mahy-uh-seen ]

adjective
  1. noting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, occurring from 25 to 10 million years ago, when grazing mammals became widespread.

noun
  1. the Miocene Epoch or Series.

Origin of Miocene

1
First recorded in 1825–35; mio- (from Greek meíōn “less”) + -cene

Other words from Miocene

  • post-Mi·o·cene, adjective

Words Nearby Miocene

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How to use Miocene in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Miocene

Miocene

/ (ˈmaɪəˌsiːn) /


adjective
  1. of, denoting, or formed in the fourth epoch of the Tertiary period, between the Oligocene and Pliocene epochs, which lasted for 19 million years

noun
  1. the Miocene this epoch or rock series

Origin of Miocene

1
C19: from Greek meiōn less + -cene

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 Miocene

Miocene

[ ə-sēn′ ]


  1. The fourth epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 24 to 5 million years ago. During this time the climate was warmer than it had been in the Oligocene, and kelp forests and grasslands first developed. With the isolation of Antarctica, a circumpolar ocean current was established in the southern Hemisphere, reducing the amount of mixing of cold polar water and warm equatorial water and causing a buildup of ice sheets in Antarctica. The African-Arabian plate became connected to Asia, closing the seaway which had previously separated Africa from Asia. Mammalian diversity was at its peak. See Chart at geologic time.

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