Mississippian

[ mis-uh-sip-ee-uhn ]

adjective

of or relating to the state of Mississippi or the Mississippi River.
Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, occurring from about 345 million to 310 million years ago and characterized as the age of amphibians.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Mississippi.
Geology. the Mississippian Period or System: the former is sometimes considered an epoch of the Carboniferous Period.

Origin of Mississippian

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; Mississippi + -an

Words Nearby Mississippian

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

How to use Mississippian in a sentence

Sixth-generation Mississippian Stuart Stevens is on the scene.
Oxford, MS, Famous: Elvis, Kimonos, Castor Beans, and a Grinder | Stuart Stevens | April 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
As a lapsed Mississippian, one of the most shocking to me regarded his visit with Jefferson Davis down at Davis' home in Biloxi.
Brian Bedford Interviewed on The Importance of Being Earnest | Kevin Sessums | January 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Small triangular points become important in the Mississippian period.
Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I Point Types | James W. Cambron
This indicates a transitional placement between Copena and Mississippian.
Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I Point Types | James W. Cambron
One, a Mississippian—a captain—hit badly in the leg, I talked with some time; he asked me for papers, which I gave him.
The Wound Dresser | Walt Whitman

"I guess they're both all right," drawled the Mississippian, settling his big black hat more firmly on his head.
The Little Brown Jug at Kildare | Meredith Nicholson
In a cook-shop a "Mississippian," bidding against a nobleman for a fowl, ran the price up to two hundred francs.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, v. 13 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for Mississippian

Mississippian

/ (ˌmɪsɪˈsɪpɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to the state of Mississippi or the Mississippi River
(in North America) of, denoting, or formed in the lower of two subdivisions of the Carboniferous period, which lasted for 30 million years: See also Pennsylvanian (def. 2)

noun

an inhabitant or native of the state of Mississippi
the Mississippian the Mississippian period or rock system equivalent to the lower Carboniferous of Europe

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 Mississippian

Mississippian

[ mĭs′ĭ-sĭp′ē-ən ]

The fifth period of the Paleozoic Era, from about 360 to 320 million years ago. During this time shallow seas spread over former land areas and the first primitive conifers appeared. See Chart at geologic time.

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