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Definition of Paleozoic - 5 dictionary results

Pa⋅le⋅o⋅zo⋅ic

  [pey-lee-uh-zoh-ik or, especially Brit., pal-ee-] Geology
Use Paleozoic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. noting or pertaining to an era occurring between 570 million and 230 million years ago, characterized by the advent of fish, insects, and reptiles.
–noun
2. the Paleozoic Era or group of systems.
Origin:
1830–40; paleo- + -zoic < Gk zōïkós pertaining to animals; see zo-, -ic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Pa·le·o·zo·ic   (pā'lē-ə-zō'ĭk)   
adj.  Of, belonging to, or designating the era of geologic time that includes the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian periods and is characterized by the appearance of marine invertebrates, primitive fishes, land plants, and primitive reptiles. See Table at geologic time.
n.  The Paleozoic Era.
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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Paleozoic

Pa`le*o*zo"ic\, a. [Paleo- + Gr. ? life, fr. ? to live.] (Geol.) Of or pertaining to, or designating, the older division of geological time during which life is known to have existed, including the Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous ages, and also to the life or rocks of those ages. See Chart of Geology.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Paleozoic 
geological era between the Precambrian and the Mesozoic, 1838, coined by Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) from paleo- + Gk. zoe "life."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Paleozoic   (pā'lē-ə-zō'ĭk)  Pronunciation Key 
The era of geologic time from about 540 to 245 million years ago. The beginning of the Paleozoic Era is characterized by a great diversity of marine invertebrate animals. Primitive fish and reptiles, land plants, and insects also first appeared during this time. The end of the Paleozoic is marked by the largest recorded mass extinction in the Earth's history, which wiped out nearly 90% of known marine life forms. See Chart at geologic time.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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