Neoceneadj.n.
/ˈniːə(ʊ)siːn/, U.S. /ˈniəˌsin/ Geology. Now rare.
A. adj.
= Neogene adj. Formerly also: †= Neozoic adj. (obsolete).
ΚΠ
1885 5th Ann. Rep. U.S. Geol. Surv. 1883–4 36 (table) [Era or system] Cenozoic. [Period or group] Neocene. [Remarks] Pliocene and Miocene.
1910 Encycl. Brit. IV. 949/2 The word ‘Neocene’ has been used in place of Neozoic, but its employment is open to objection.
1936 Jrnl. Washington Acad. Sci. 26 199 (title) A new mustelid carnivore from the Neocene beds of northwestern Nebraska.
1969 R. Filijak et al. in P. Hepple Explor. Petroleum in Europe & N. Afr. (Inst. Petroleum, London) 113 The Pannonian Basin is a Neocene sedimentary basin.
1989 Science 227 1325 (note) Workshop on Neocene Paleoclimates and Evolution in Southern Africa.
B. n.
Also with the. The Neocene period; the rocks collectively dating from this time.
ΚΠ
1891 Amer. Naturalist 25 47 (title) On two new perissodactyles from the White River Neocene of Nebraska.
1999 Geogr. Rev. Japan A. 72 29 Landform characteristics such as height, steepness, and convexity-dominance change gradually with time from the Holocene to Neocene.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
adj.n.1885