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carboniferous

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Car⋅bon⋅if⋅er⋅ous

  [kahr-buh-nif-er-uhs] Geology
Use carboniferous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, including the Pennsylvanian and Mississippian periods as epochs, occurring from 345 million to 280 million years ago.
2. (lowercase) producing carbon or coal.
–noun
3. the Carboniferous Period or System.
Origin:
1790–1800; < L carbōn- (s. of carbō) coal + -i- + -ferous
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Car·bon·if·er·ous   (kär'bə-nĭf'ər-əs)   
adj.  

  1. Of, belonging to, or denoting a geologic division of the Paleozoic Era following the Devonian and preceding the Permian, including the Mississippian Period and the Pennsylvanian Period and characterized, especially in the Pennsylvanian, by swamp formation and deposition of plant remains later hardened into coal.

  2. carboniferous Producing or containing carbon or coal.

n.  The Carboniferous Period. See Table at geologic time.
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

Carboniferous 
the geological period (1830) is from a word formed in Eng. 1799 from L. carbo (gen. carbonis) "coal" (see carbon) + -ferous "producing, containing." The great coal beds of Europe were laid down during this period.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
Carboniferous   (kär'bə-nĭf'ər-əs)  Pronunciation Key 
The period of geologic time from about 360 to 286 million years ago. The term is used throughout the world, although this period of time has been separated into the Mississippian (lower Carboniferous) and Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) in the United States. During this time, widespread swamps formed in which plant remains accumulated and later hardened into coal. See Chart at geologic time.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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