carboniferous
adjective
car·bon·if·er·ous
ˌkär-bə-ˈni-f(ə-)rəs 
1
: producing or containing carbon or coal
2
capitalized
: of, relating to, or being the period of the Paleozoic era between the Devonian and the Permian or the corresponding system of rocks that includes coal beds see Geologic Time Table
Carboniferous
noun
Examples of carboniferous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Blarney Castle dates to 1446, and there’s a slab of carboniferous limestone near the top.
—
Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2023
The clay exterior is filled with spray insulation and impressed with individual scales, which are based off of a 3-D print of a carboniferous plant fossil.
—Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2020
True spiders, to which sea spiders (some of which have more than eight legs) are but distantly related, are known for certain only from as far back as the Carboniferous period, about 300m years ago.
—The Economist, 13 July 2017
A new microsaur from the Early Carboniferous (Viséan) of East Kirkton, Scotland, showing soft tissue evidence.
—Darren Naish, Scientific American Blog Network, 7 July 2017
Kevin Fisher-Paulson, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2023
The clay exterior is filled with spray insulation and impressed with individual scales, which are based off of a 3-D print of a carboniferous plant fossil.
—Washington Post, 19 Jan. 2020
True spiders, to which sea spiders (some of which have more than eight legs) are but distantly related, are known for certain only from as far back as the Carboniferous period, about 300m years ago.
—The Economist, 13 July 2017
A new microsaur from the Early Carboniferous (Viséan) of East Kirkton, Scotland, showing soft tissue evidence.
—Darren Naish, Scientific American Blog Network, 7 July 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carboniferous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near carboniferous
Cite this Entry
“Carboniferous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carboniferous. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
carboniferous
adjective
car·bon·if·er·ous
ˌkär-bə-ˈnif-(ə-)rəs
1
: producing or containing carbon or coal
2
capitalized
: of, relating to, or being a period of the Paleozoic era of geological history or the corresponding system of rocks that includes coal beds see geologic time
Carboniferous
noun
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