Mesozoic

/,mesou'zouik/
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Definition
  1. Adjective: Of, relating to, or denoting the Mesozoic era in geological time.
  2. Noun: The Mesozoic era, a geological time period extending from approximately 252 to 66 million years ago, known as the age of reptiles and characterized by the dominance of dinosaurs.
Usage
  • Adjective: Used to describe geological features, fossils, rocks, or events from that specific era.
    • The Mesozoic rocks contain abundant dinosaur fossils.
    • Scientists study Mesozoic climate patterns.
  • Noun: Used to refer to the era itself, often preceded by the definite article "the".
    • Dinosaurs thrived during the Mesozoic.
    • The Mesozoic is subdivided into three periods: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous.
Advanced Usage
  • "Mesozoic fauna/flora": Refers specifically to the animal and plant life of the era.
    • The exhibit focuses on Mesozoic flora and its evolution.
  • In academic writing, it is often used in compound adjectival phrases.
    • The late-Mesozoic extinction event reshaped life on Earth.
Variants and Related Words
  • Mesozoic Era: The full, formal name for the noun form.
  • Cenozoic (Adj/N): The geological era following the Mesozoic.
  • Paleozoic (Adj/N): The geological era preceding the Mesozoic.
Synonyms
  • Age of Reptiles: A common descriptive synonym for the Mesozoic era.
  • Secondary (Adj, archaic): An older, now largely obsolete term in geology for Mesozoic.
Different Meanings

The word "Mesozoic" is a scientific term with a single, specific meaning related to geological time. It does not have common idiomatic or figurative uses outside of this context.

Adjective
  1. of or relating to or denoting the Mesozoic era
Noun
  1. from 230 million to 63 million years ago