Oligocene

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈɒlɪɡəʊˌsiːn/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(ol′i gō sēn′)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
Ol•i•go•cene  (ol′i gō sēn′),USA pronunciation [Geol.]
adj. 
  1. Geologynoting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, occurring from 40 to 25 million years ago. See table under geologic time. 

n. 
  1. Geologythe Oligocene Epoch or Series.
  • oligo- + -cene 1855–60

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Oligocene /ˈɒlɪɡəʊˌsiːn; ɒˈlɪɡ-/ adj
  1. of, denoting, or formed in the third epoch of the Tertiary period, which lasted for 10 000 000 years
 n
  1. the Oligocene ⇒ the Oligocene epoch or rock series
Etymology: 19th Century: oligo- + -cene
'Oligocene' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Miocene - Tertiary - Aegyptopithecus - baluchithere - megathere - multituberculate - Paleogene - post-Oligocene - titanothere - saber-toothed tiger

Forum discussions with the word(s) "Oligocene" in the title:


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