Paleogene

adjective

Pa·​leo·​gene ˈpā-lē-ə-ˌjēn How to pronounce Paleogene (audio)
especially British
ˈpa- How to pronounce Paleogene (audio)
: of, relating to, or being the earlier part of the Tertiary including the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene or the corresponding series of rocks
Paleogene noun

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German paläogen, adjective, from paläo- paleo- + -gen (in neogen neogene)

Note: Term introduced by the German geologist Carl Friedrich Naumann (1797-1873) in Lehrbuch der Geognosie, 2. Auflage, 3. Band (Leipzig, 1866), p 8.

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Paleogene was in 1882

Dictionary Entries Near Paleogene

Paleogean

Paleogene

paleogenesis

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Paleogene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Paleogene. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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