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Phanerozoic

[ fan-er-uh-zoh-ik ]

noun

  1. the eon comprising the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras.


adjective

  1. of or relating to this eon.

Phanerozoic

/ ˌfænərəˈzəʊɪk /

adjective

  1. of or relating to that part of geological time represented by rocks in which the evidence of life is abundant, comprising the Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras
“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


noun

  1. the Phanerozoic
    the Phanerozoic era
“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

Phanerozoic

/ făn′ər-ə-zōĭk /

  1. The period of geologic time from about 540 million years ago to the present, including the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. When this period of time was first defined, it was thought to coincide with the first appearance of life in the fossil record. It is now known that bacterial and other forms of life were present in the Precambrian Eon, and the Phanerozoic is understood to coincide with the appearance of life forms that evolved external skeletons.
  2. See Chart at geologic time


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Phanerozoic1

1925–30; < Greek phaneró ( s ) manifest, visible + zo- + -ic

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