Devonian

adjective

De·​vo·​ni·​an di-ˈvō-nē-ən How to pronounce Devonian (audio)
1
: of or relating to Devon, England
2
: of, relating to, or being the period of the Paleozoic era between the Silurian and the Mississippian or the corresponding system of rocks see Geologic Time Table
Devonian noun

Examples of Devonian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Coelacanths first evolved into existence during the early Devonian period, a little over 400 million years ago. Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024 This formation includes fossils from numerous species that went extinct during the Devonian extinctions, a series of mass extinction events that occurred that primarily affected marine organisms about 359 to 419 million years ago. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Sep. 2024 Picking up that Late Devonian rock in Morocco, holding that pyritized ammonite in my hand, made concrete this grand evolutionary dialectic that stretches from deep time to today. Leigh Phillips, The Atlantic, 9 July 2024 From the late Devonian onward, many plants adapted to fire’s recurring presence. Ferris Jabr, The Atlantic, 25 June 2024 And the nearby Falls of the Ohio State Park boasts 390-million-year-old Devonian fossil beds, among the largest of their kind in the world, and offers close access to the river without a boat. Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 23 Apr. 2024 In the eighteen-thirties, for example, several of Britain’s most prominent geologists traded insults in a dispute over rocks from what’s now known as the Devonian period, some four hundred million years ago. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024 During the Devonian period, this part of the Devon and Somerset coasts weren’t attached to the rest of England. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Some three hundred and eighty million years ago, during the late Devonian period, the continent of Africa was drifting toward what would eventually become eastern North America. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Devonian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Devon, England

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Devonian was in 1612

Dictionary Entries Near Devonian

Cite this Entry

“Devonian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Devonian. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

Devonian

adjective
De·​vo·​ni·​an di-ˈvō-nē-ən How to pronounce Devonian (audio)
: of, relating to, or being a period of the Paleozoic era of geological history or the corresponding system of rocks see geologic time
Devonian noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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