carboniferous

adjective

car·​bon·​if·​er·​ous ˌkär-bə-ˈni-f(ə-)rəs How to pronounce carboniferous (audio)
1
: producing or containing carbon or coal
2
capitalized : of, relating to, or being the period of the Paleozoic era between the Devonian and the Permian or the corresponding system of rocks that includes coal beds see Geologic Time Table
Carboniferous noun

Examples of carboniferous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Blarney Castle dates to 1446, and there’s a slab of carboniferous limestone near the top. Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2023 The clay exterior is filled with spray insulation and impressed with individual scales, which are based off of a 3-D print of a carboniferous plant fossil. Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2020 True spiders, to which sea spiders (some of which have more than eight legs) are but distantly related, are known for certain only from as far back as the Carboniferous period, about 300m years ago. The Economist, 13 July 2017 A new microsaur from the Early Carboniferous (Viséan) of East Kirkton, Scotland, showing soft tissue evidence. Darren Naish, Scientific American Blog Network, 7 July 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carboniferous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carboniferous was in 1799

Dictionary Entries Near carboniferous

Cite this Entry

“Carboniferous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carboniferous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carboniferous

adjective
car·​bon·​if·​er·​ous ˌkär-bə-ˈnif-(ə-)rəs How to pronounce carboniferous (audio)
1
: producing or containing carbon or coal
2
capitalized : of, relating to, or being a period of the Paleozoic era of geological history or the corresponding system of rocks that includes coal beds see geologic time
Carboniferous noun
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