Permian

American  

[pur-mee-uhn] / ˈpɜr mi ən /

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.

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noun

1. Geology. the Permian Period or System.

2. Permic.

Permian British  

/ 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

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noun

1. the Permian period or rock system

Permian Scientific  

/ pûr′mē-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.

2. See Chart at geologic time

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Other Word Forms

• post-Permian adjective
• pre-Permian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Permian

First recorded in 1835–45; Perm + -ian

Example Sentences

Here in the heart of the Permian Basin, America’s fracking capital, economic fortunes rise and fall with energy prices.

From The Wall Street Journal

Producers in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico extract roughly half of the U.S.’s crude.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Production outlooks for early 2026 remain relatively flat, but some incremental output from the Permian is possible with new outtake capacity available and strong demands from the Gulf coast region.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The vehicles are delivering freight between Fort Worth and El Paso and Dallas and Houston, as well as hauling fracking sand on public roads and highways in the Permian Basin.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company, a large landowner in the Permian Basin, aims to leverage its acreage for AI compute infrastructure.

From Barron's