Word
cretaceous
Phoneticscre·ta·ceous
US/kɹɪˈteɪʃɪs/
UK/kɹɛtˈeɪʃəs/
Definition
adj. relating to the final period of the age of dinosaurs, which ended about 66 million years ago. It is famous for being the time when many well-known dinosaurs lived and then went extinct.
adj. relating to the final period of the Mesozoic Era, following the Jurassic and preceding the Paleogene. Often associated with the mass extinction event that concluded the age of non-avian dinosaurs.
Examples
“The Tyrannosaurus rex lived during the late Cretaceous period.”
“Geologists identify Cretaceous rock layers by the presence of specific chalk deposits and marine fossils found worldwide.”
“The transition from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene is marked by a distinct sediment layer that suggests a catastrophic impact event fundamentally altered the planet's biosphere.”
Examples
simple
“The Tyrannosaurus rex lived during the late Cretaceous period.”
contextual
“Geologists identify Cretaceous rock layers by the presence of specific chalk deposits and marine fossils found worldwide.”
complex
“The transition from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene is marked by a distinct sediment layer that suggests a catastrophic impact event fundamentally altered the planet's biosphere.”
Usage
Typically used attributively to modify nouns like 'period', 'era', or 'strata'.
Real-World Examples
Common in science writing
“Fossils collected in Osaka more than 30 years ago have revealed a surprise hiding in plain sight: four previously unrecognized bones from a giant Cretaceous mosasaur.” “This dinosaur would have lived 82 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period when Antarctica was very different from how it is today.” Etymology
Specific use of cretaceous.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cretaceous