Permian

[ pur-mee-uhn ]

adjective
  1. Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era occurring from about 280 to 230 million years ago and characterized by a profusion of amphibian species.

noun
  1. Geology. the Permian Period or System.

Origin of Permian

1
First recorded in 1835–45; Perm + -ian

Other words from Permian

  • post-Per·mi·an, adjective
  • pre-Per·mi·an, adjective

Words Nearby Permian

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How to use Permian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Permian

Permian

/ (ˈpɜːmɪən) /


adjective
  1. of, denoting, or formed in the last period of the Palaeozoic era, between the Carboniferous and Triassic periods, which lasted for 60 000 000 years

noun
  1. the Permian the Permian period or rock system

Origin of Permian

1
C19: after Perm, Russia

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 Permian

Permian

[ pûrmē-ən ]


  1. The seventh and last period of the Paleozoic Era, from about 286 to 245 million years ago. During the Permian Period the supercontinent Pangaea, comprising almost all of today's landmasses, formed. Gymnosperms evolved, the first modern conifers appeared, and reptiles diversified. The Permian Period ended with the largest known mass extinction in the history of life. It wiped out nearly 90 percent of known marine life forms. See Chart at geologic time.

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