Cambrian
Americanadjective
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Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era, occurring from 570 million to 500 million years ago, when algae and marine invertebrates were the predominant form of life.
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of or relating to Cambria; Welsh.
noun
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Geology. the Cambrian Period or System.
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a native of Cambria; Welshman.
adjective
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of, denoting, or formed in the first 65 million years of the Palaeozoic era, during which marine invertebrates, esp trilobites, flourished
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of or relating to Wales
noun
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the Cambrian period or rock system
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a Welsh person
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The first period of the Paleozoic Era, from about 540 to 505 million years ago. During this time warm seas and desert land areas were widespread, and animal life diversified rapidly during what is known as the Cambrian Explosion.
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See Chart at geologic time
Other Word Forms
- post-Cambrian adjective
Etymology
Origin of Cambrian
1580–90; < Medieval Latin Cambri ( a ) Wales, Latinization of MWelsh Cymry Wales, literally Welshmen ( see Cymry) + -an
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The discovery shows that many major animal groups were already present before the Cambrian Period began.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
After a long day of teaching, Rudy Lerosey-Aubril turned to a familiar task: preparing a Cambrian arthropod fossil for study.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
"This fossil documents the Cambrian origin of chelicerates," noted Lerosey-Aubril, "and shows that the anatomical blueprint of spiders and horseshoe crabs was already emerging 500 million years ago."
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
Hidden among the clouds that cling to the Cambrian mountains, Graham has brought me to a secret location, armed with a home-made rake.
From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026
The issue arose when the Reverend Adam Sedgwick of Cambridge claimed for the Cambrian period a layer of rock that Roderick Murchison believed belonged rightly to the Silurian.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
