mesozoic

Definitions

meso- (middle) + zo (animal/life) + -ic (adj.) = 'of the middle era of life.' Geologists named the great eras by the kind of life ruling them: Paleozoic (ancient life), Mesozoic (middle life — dinosaurs), Cenozoic (recent life — mammals). The shared -zoic ending always means 'of animals/life.'

Why It Means This

Mesozoic belongs to a trio of sibling words all built on -zoic ('of life'). Reading them in order is reading the history of life on Earth: Paleozoic (old life, fish and early reptiles), Mesozoic (middle life, the dinosaurs), Cenozoic (new life, mammals and humans). The prefix tells you when; -zoic tells you it is about living creatures.

Common Collocations

• 1.the Mesozoic era中生代
• 2.Mesozoic rocks中生代岩层
• 3.during the Mesozoic在中生代期间
• 4.late Mesozoic中生代晚期

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Dinosaurs dominated the Earth throughout the Mesozoic era.

• 2.

  These fossils date back to the early Mesozoic, long before flowering plants.

• 3.

  The Mesozoic ended with a mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs.