carboniferous Hear it!

carboniferous Definition

car·bon·if·er·ous (kär′bə nif′ər əs)

adjective

  1. producing or containing carbon or coal
  2. designating or of the fifth geologic period of the Paleozoic Era, subdivided into the Pennsylvanian (the Upper Carboniferous) and the Mississippian (the Lower Carboniferous) and characterized by warm, moist climate and vast swamps which eventually formed into extensive coal deposits

Etymology: carbon + -i- + -ferous

carboniferous Idioms

the Carboniferous

the Carboniferous Period or its rocks
Carboniferous Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • limestone: A wide strip of carboniferous limestone runs from Tenby to Pembroke, the height above sea level being only about a hundred feet.
  • sandstone: The most common type of paving stone is carboniferous sandstone, most frequently represented by York stone.
  • rock: It is very possible that these pebbles may have come from the underlying carboniferous rocks.
  • series: The latter, in fact, being those which may be termed the carboniferous series of the moorland districts of North Yorkshire.
  • era: Berwick Law is composed of igneous rock formed during the early carboniferous era.
  • formation: Of the geological features of the county, the most noted is the carboniferous formation, of which Newcastle is the center.