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Cambrian

Pronunciation: /ˈkambrɪən/
Definition of Cambrian

adjective

  • 1(chiefly in names or geographical terms) Welsh:the Cambrian Railway
  • 2 Geology relating to or denoting the first period in the Palaeozoic era, between the end of the Precambrian aeon and the beginning of the Ordovician period.
  • (as noun the Cambrian) the Cambrian period or the system of rocks deposited during it.
  • The Cambrian lasted from about 570 to 510 million years ago and was a time of widespread seas. It is the earliest period in which fossils, notably trilobites, can be used in geological dating

Origin:

mid 17th century: from Latin Cambria 'Wales', variant of Cumbria, from Welsh Cymry 'Welshman' or Cymru 'Wales'

Cambrian in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of Cambrian in the US English dictionary
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