adj, name ·4 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Of a geologic epoch within the Paleogene period from about 34 to 23 million years ago; marked by the rapid evolution in a warm climate. not-comparable

Proper Noun

1. 1
   The Oligocene epoch.

Synonyms

All synonyms

oligocene epochperiodtime

Etymology

From German Oligozän (originally spelt Oligocän, coined in 1854). By surface analysis, oligo- + -cene.

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