ENGLISH
REFERENCE

jurassic

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //dʒʊˈɹæsɪk// juras·sic Informal

adj. relating to a time millions of years ago when dinosaurs lived. People also use it to describe something that is very old or out of date.

adj. relating to the second period of the Mesozoic era, occurring between approximately 200 and 145 million years ago. In informal contexts, it describes something extremely old-fashioned or obsolete.


SIMPLE

The museum has a large collection of Jurassic fossils.

CONTEXTUAL

The scientist discovered a new species of dinosaur that lived during the Jurassic period.

COMPLEX

While the film focuses on the Jurassic era, many of the creatures depicted actually thrived during the later Cretaceous period, leading to some scientific debate among viewers.

Origin

Borrowed from French Jurassique, named for the discovery and type location in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland.

Usage

When referring to the geological period, it is almost always capitalized. In its informal sense meaning 'obsolete', it is often used predicatively after a linking verb.

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