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

Gower’s geology is equally striking, ranging from carboniferous limestone cliffs in the south to expansive salt marshes and dunes in the north. —Valerie Stimac, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025

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

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for carboniferous

• argentiferous
• fossiliferous
• manganiferous
• metalliferous
• odoriferous
• seminiferous
• titaniferous
• auriferous
• calciferous
• coniferous
• pestiferous
• vociferous

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