Cretaceous
Pronunciation: /krɪˈteɪʃəs/
adjective
Geology- relating to or denoting the last period of the Mesozoic era, between the Jurassic and Tertiary periods.
- (as noun the Cretaceous) the Cretaceous period or the system of rocks deposited during it.
- The Cretaceous lasted from about 146 to 65 million years ago. The climate was warm and the sea level rose; the period is characterized especially in NW Europe by the deposition of chalk. The first flowering plants emerged and the domination of the dinosaurs continued, although they died out quite abruptly towards the end of it
Origin:
late 17th century: from Latin cretaceus (from creta 'chalk') + -ous