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CRETACEOUS

 - 3 dictionary results

cre⋅ta⋅ceous

  [kri-tey-shuhs]
Use CRETACEOUS in a Sentence
–adjective
1. resembling or containing chalk.
2. (initial capital letter) Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Mesozoic Era, from 140 million to 65 million years ago, characterized by the greatest development and subsequent extinction of dinosaurs and the advent of flowering plants and modern insects.
–noun
3. (initial capital letter) Geology. the Cretaceous Period or System.
Origin:
1665–70; < L crētāceus, equiv. to crēt(a) chalk, clay (cf. crayon ) + -āceus -aceous; the geological period was defined from the chalk beds of SE England and associated formations

Related forms:
cre⋅ta⋅ceous⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To CRETACEOUS
Cre·ta·ceous   (krĭ-tā'shəs)   
adj.  

  1. Of or belonging to the geologic time, system of rocks, and sedimentary deposits of the third and last period of the Mesozoic Era, characterized by the development of flowering plants and ending with the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs and many other forms of life. See Table at geologic time.

  2. cretaceous Of, containing, or resembling chalk.

n.  The Cretaceous Period or its system of deposits.

[From Latin crētāceus, chalky, from crēta, chalk, from Crēta (terra), Cretan (earth).]
cre·ta'ceous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cretaceous 
c.1675, adj., "chalky," from L. cretaceus "chalky," from creta "chalk." As a geological period (with a capital C-), it was first used 1832. The extensive chalk beds of southeastern England were laid down during the Cretaceous.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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