Eocene epoch
- noun
- /ˈiːoʊsiːn ˈɛpɒk/
- Specialized
:
época eocena
- The 1,000-mile-long island split off from the continent of Africa in the Eocene epoch, some 50 million years ago, before African carnivores had yet evolved.
- about 50 million
Examples
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During the Eocene epoch, many modern mammal families began to emerge, significantly shaping the diversity of life on Earth.
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The fossil record shows that the climate during the Eocene epoch was much warmer than today, which influenced the evolution of various species.
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Scientists study the Eocene epoch to understand how ecosystems developed as mammals adapted to new environments.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A period in Earth's history from about 56 to 34 million years ago when many modern mammals first appear
How Old
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase: 'Eocene' names a specific geological time and 'epoch' denotes a geologic subdivision, so the combined meaning ('the epoch called Eocene') is directly derivable from the parts. The pattern of naming time intervals (adjective/proper name + epoch/period) is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner who knows both constituents will understand it.
Etymology
Eocene epoch comes from two Greek parts: Eo- meaning 'dawn' and -cene meaning 'new'. Scientists chose this name because that time was like a 'dawn' for many modern mammal groups, so the name helps explain why the epoch means the early rise of today's mammals.