What does "paleozoic" mean?

Of a geologic era within the Phanerozoic eon that comprises the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods from about 542 to 250 million years ago, from the age of trilobites to that of reptiles.

What is a synonym for "paleozoic"?

Common synonyms include: paleozoic era, period, time.

How do you pronounce "paleozoic"?

Pronounced //ˈpeɪl.iəˌzəʊɪk//.

Paleozoic

//ˈpeɪl.iəˌzəʊɪk// adj, name

adj, name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1
Of a geologic era within the Phanerozoic eon that comprises the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous and Permian periods from about 542 to 250 million years ago, from the age of trilobites to that of reptiles.
"‘Itʼs all Paleozoic rock under our feet, this part of the world: to think of it, laid down five hundred million years before, shrugging its shoulders and bringing down the steeples on the churches!’"
2
Alternative form of Paleozoic. alt-of, alternative, not-comparable

Adjective

1
of or relating to or denoting the Paleozoic era wordnet

Proper Noun

1
The Paleozoic era.

Synonyms

All synonyms

paleozoic era period time

Example

More examples

"Paleozoic rocks make up the eastern part of the Andean Mountains in Peru, while the western range is formed of Mesozoic beds, volcanic ashes and lava of comparatively recent date."

Etymology

From paleo- + -zoic.

Related phrases

Lower Paleozoic

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.