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

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Etymology

Origin of Permian

First recorded in 1835–45; Perm + -ian

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Permian

In the Permian Basin in West Texas, on any given day, 500 to 600 trucks are deployed delivering frack sand for Detmar Logistics, which operates 24 hours-a-day, 365 days a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Gulf Coast refineries benefit from lower-cost crude coming from Texas oil basins such as the Permian and Eagle Ford.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

“If hyperscalers want to hyperscale,” Sellers said, “they need land and a lot of it in the Permian Basin.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Permian producers have suffered from a lack of pipelines to ship and sell natural gas, and they are eager to provide the fuel to electrify tech companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Permian came into the game ranked fourth in the state with a reputation of invincibility to uphold.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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