Etymology

carboniferous

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Today it means: Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises the lower, middle and upper Mississippian and lower, middle and upper Pennsylvanian epochs from about 345 to 280 million years ago, when coal was laid down. Full definition →

Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? ← Latin ferō ← Proto-Italic *ferō
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carboniferous · adjective1

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kerh₃-der.?
  2. Latincarbōnem
  3. Frenchcarbone
  4. Englishcarbon
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
  7. Proto-Italic*ferō
  8. Latinferō
  9. Proto-Indo-European*h₃ed-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*h₃édosder.?
  11. English todaycarboniferous

From carbon + -i- + -ferous.

Carboniferous · adjective, proper noun2

From carboniferous (“producing carbon”), from carbon + -i- + -ferous.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.