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Paleocene

Syllabification: (Pa·le·o·cene)

Definition of Paleocene

adjective

Geology

of, relating to, or denoting the earliest epoch of the Tertiary period, between the Cretaceous period and the Eocene epoch.
(as noun the Paleocene) the Paleocene epoch or the system of rocks deposited during it.

The Paleocene epoch lasted from 65 million to 56.5 million years ago. It was a time of sudden diversification among the mammals, probably as a result of the mass extinctions (notably of the dinosaurs) that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period (see Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary)

Origin:

late 19th century: from paleo- (relating to prehistoric times) + Greek kainos 'new'

Paleocene in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Paleocene in the British & World English dictionary

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