orogeny

noun

orog·​e·​ny ȯ-ˈrä-jə-nē How to pronounce orogeny (audio)
: the process of mountain formation especially by folding of the earth's crust
orogenic adjective

Examples of orogeny in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Once a layer of beach sands that had been cemented together by weight, temperature and time into Tuscarora quartz arenite, the 425-million-year-old rocks were turned vertical when the North American continental plate collided with the African plate during the Appalachian orogeny. Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2021 The bedrock of Sweden is dominantly 1-2.5 billion years old and the most recent tectonic event to impact the country was the Caledonian orogeny, about half a billion years ago. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2018 But today’s most visible on-the-ground evidence of the colliding land masses are the mountain ranges running from Georgia to Maine that arose during the Appalachian orogeny. Washington Post, 4 June 2021 That continental smash-up is called the Alleghanian orogeny. Ken Jennings, CNT, 17 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of orogeny was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near orogeny

Cite this Entry

“Orogeny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/orogeny. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on orogeny

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!