Messinian

M3E1S1S1I1N1I1A1N1

proper noun

The final subdivision of the Miocene epoch.

RareScrabble 11
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

Messinian1

proper noun
  1. biologyThe final subdivision of the Miocene epoch.

Messinian2

adjectiveMessinian (not comparable)
  1. alternativenot comparableAlternative form of Messenian.
nounMessinian (plural Messinians)

plural Messinians

  1. alternativeAlternative form of Messenian.

Origin

From Messina (“Sicilian city near to where evaporite rocks of this period outcrop”) + -ian; coined by Swiss stratigrapher Karl Mayer-Eymar in 1867.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan Messinià
  • MessiniàTranslations
Dutch Messinien
  • MessinienTranslations
French Messinien
  • MessinienTranslations
German Messinium
  • MessiniumTranslations
Hungarian Messinai
  • MessinaiTranslations
Italian Messiniano
  • MessinianoTranslations
Polish messyn
  • messynTranslations
Spanish Messiniense
  • MessinienseTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

Messinian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Messinian

MLA

“Messinian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Messinian. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Messinian,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Messinian.

Source: Messinian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.