Cryptozoic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. An eon or other time period before the Cambrian, when the fossils of hard-shelled animals first appeared in the geological record.
adj
  1. Living in a cavity or small cave.
  2. Hidden (especially in the soil); not easily visible.
  3. Relating to a cryptozoite.

Word forms

Cryptozoic

Etymology

From crypto- + -zoic, as any life from the period was considered to be hidden from scientific examination.

Related words

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