Ordovician

adjective

Or·​do·​vi·​cian ˌȯr-də-ˈvi-shən How to pronounce Ordovician (audio)
: of, relating to, or being the period between the Cambrian and the Silurian or the corresponding system of rocks see Geologic Time Table
Ordovician noun

Examples of Ordovician in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Other notably old objects include: Hundreds of fossils from the Late Ordovician period that are 420 million years old. Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 6 Oct. 2024 Of the over 200 impact craters known, 21 date to the Ordovician—the time period from 485.4 to 443.4 million years ago. David Bressan, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024 The first clue came from a series of 21 craters that formed during a roughly 40-million-year period of intense meteorite impact known as the Ordovician impact spike. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Sep. 2024 Tomkins and his colleagues were intrigued by a window of time in the Ordovician period (~485-443 million years ago) where the rate of impacts seem to be higher on Earth based on the evidence of preserved craters. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2024 Around that time, during what’s called the Ordovician period, there seems to have been an increase in impact craters on Earth. Michael Irving, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2024 The first of the Big Five mass extinctions transpired about 445 million years ago, marking the boundary between the Ordovician and Silurian periods back when fish and land plants were still relatively new. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2024 Have Chernobyl Mutations Rewired Evolution? Gamma-Ray Events Through the Ages Around 450 million years ago, during the Ordovician era, a sudden ice age is believed to have wiped out two thirds of animal life. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024 The Ordovician period came to a chaotic end with a major mass extinction event that rocked Earth, eliminating about 85 percent of all species. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin Ordovices, ancient people in northern Wales

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Ordovician was in 1879

Dictionary Entries Near Ordovician

Cite this Entry

“Ordovician.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ordovician. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Ordovician

adjective
Or·​do·​vi·​cian ˌȯrd-ə-ˈvish-ən How to pronounce Ordovician (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a period of the Paleozoic era of geological history or the corresponding system of rocks see geologic time
Ordovician noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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