Devonian
adjective
De·vo·ni·an
di-ˈvō-nē-ən 
1
: of or relating to Devon, England
2
: of, relating to, or being the period of the Paleozoic era between the Silurian and the Mississippian or the corresponding system of rocks see Geologic Time Table
Devonian
noun
Examples of Devonian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first tetrapods evolved roughly 390 million years ago during the Devonian period.
—
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 May 2025
The Late Devonian extinction, nearly four hundred million years ago, annihilated the jawless fish.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
The primary cause behind the Devonian and Ordovician mass extinction events is not fully understood, but both of them have also been linked to the depletion of Earth's ozone layer.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Mar. 2025
During the Devonian geological era, life thrived on land for the first time, but early land plantsand animals making the transition from water to land were wiped out, along with armored fish and other marine species.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
The Ordovician extinction killed 60 percent of marine invertebrates at a time when life was largely confined to the sea, while the late Devonian extinction wiped out around 70 percent of all species, including some of the earliest groups of fish found in the fossil record.
—David Bressan, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
The early appearance of sharks can be attributed to the aquatic environment of the Devonian seas.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Coelacanths first evolved into existence during the early Devonian period, a little over 400 million years ago.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
This formation includes fossils from numerous species that went extinct during the Devonian extinctions, a series of mass extinction events that occurred that primarily affected marine organisms about 359 to 419 million years ago.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Sep. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 May 2025
The Late Devonian extinction, nearly four hundred million years ago, annihilated the jawless fish.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
The primary cause behind the Devonian and Ordovician mass extinction events is not fully understood, but both of them have also been linked to the depletion of Earth's ozone layer.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Mar. 2025
During the Devonian geological era, life thrived on land for the first time, but early land plantsand animals making the transition from water to land were wiped out, along with armored fish and other marine species.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
The Ordovician extinction killed 60 percent of marine invertebrates at a time when life was largely confined to the sea, while the late Devonian extinction wiped out around 70 percent of all species, including some of the earliest groups of fish found in the fossil record.
—David Bressan, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
The early appearance of sharks can be attributed to the aquatic environment of the Devonian seas.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Coelacanths first evolved into existence during the early Devonian period, a little over 400 million years ago.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
This formation includes fossils from numerous species that went extinct during the Devonian extinctions, a series of mass extinction events that occurred that primarily affected marine organisms about 359 to 419 million years ago.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Devonian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Devonian. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Devonian
adjective
De·vo·ni·an
di-ˈvō-nē-ən
: of, relating to, or being a period of the Paleozoic era of geological history or the corresponding system of rocks see geologic time
Devonian
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share