Devonian
Americanadjective
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Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, 405 to 345 million years ago, characterized by the dominance of fishes and the advent of amphibians and ammonites.
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of or relating to Devonshire, England.
noun
adjective
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of, denoting, or formed in the fourth period of the Palaeozoic era, between the Silurian and Carboniferous periods, lasting 60-70 million years during which amphibians first appeared
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of or relating to Devon
noun
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The fourth period of the Paleozoic Era, from about 408 to 360 million years ago. During this time there were three major landmasses: most of modern day North America and Europe were located along the equator; a portion of Siberia was located to the north; and a continent consisting of South America, Australia, Africa, India, and Antarctica was located in the Southern Hemisphere. In the early Devonian small plants dominated the landscape, but by the end of the Devonian ferns and seed plants had appeared, as had the first forests. The first tetrapods (terrestrial vertebrates) and terrestrial arthropods appeared, as did many new types of fish.
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See Chart at geologic time
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Devonian
1605–15; < Medieval Latin Devoni ( a ) Devon + -an
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Around 415 million years ago, it would have been an imposing predator in the floodplain environments of the Early Devonian.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026
William revealed he had his scones the Devonian way - layering clotted cream first followed by jam.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
A puzzling fossil from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation in WA has now been examined using advanced imaging techniques such as CT scanning and computed tomography.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 12, 2026
The tea plants in lunar soil flourished, performing on par with those in Devonian soil, while the Mars saplings failed to grow.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2025
Devonian is of course from the English county of Devon.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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