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cretaceous

 - 4 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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Science Dictionary
Cretaceous   (krĭ-tā'shəs)  Pronunciation Key 
The third and last period of the Mesozoic Era, from about 144 to 65 million years ago. During this time the supercontinent Pangaea continued to split up, with modern-day South America and Africa splitting apart, the Atlantic Ocean widening, and India disconnecting itself entirely from the other landmasses to which it was attached. Dinosaurs continued to be the dominant terrestrial animals, but many insect groups, modern mammals and birds, and the angiosperms (flowering plants) also first appeared. The Cretaceous Period ended with a mass extinction event in which about 75 percent of all species, including marine, freshwater, and terrestrial organisms, became extinct. See Chart at geologic time.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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