Jurassic

American  

[joo-ras-ik] / dʒʊˈræs ɪk /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a period of the Mesozoic Epoch, occurring from 190 to 140 million years ago and characterized by an abundance of dinosaurs and the advent of birds and mammals.

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noun

1. the Jurassic Period or System.

Jurassic British  

/ dʒʊˈræsɪk /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the second period of the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods, lasting for 55 million years during which dinosaurs and ammonites flourished

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noun

1. the Jurassic period or rock system

Jurassic Scientific  

/ j-răs′ĭk /

1. The second and middle period of the Mesozoic Era, from about 208 to 144 million years ago. During this time the supercontinent Pangaea continued to split up and numerous shallow seas inundated the new continents. Dinosaurs were the dominant form of terrestrial animal life, and the earliest birds appeared. Marine life was dominated by ammonites and belemnites, and sponges, corals, bryozoa, and gastropods all flourished. Gymnosperms and cycads were the dominant land plants.

2. See Chart at geologic time

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Other Word Forms

• post-Jurassic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Jurassic

First recorded in 1825–35; Jur(a) + -assic, suffix extracted from Triassic; compare French jurassique

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Jurassic

If you’re going to watch one scene of his, I recommend this iconic one from Jurassic Park, the 1993 movie that made Neill famous.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Grant survived the harrowing events when the creatures get loose, but didn’t return for “The Lost World: Jurassic Park II” in 1997.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Speaking to the BBC at the 1993 premiere of Jurassic Park, which co-starred Richard Attenborough and Laura Dern, Neill said the way the film had been received was a "big surprise".

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The site where the fossils were found, Phu Noi, contained a wide variety of fossils from the Late Jurassic period.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Most of these are also reasonably well known: Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, Silurian, and so on.*

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson