Permian

American  

[pur-mee-uhn] / ˈpɜr mi ən /

adjective

1. Geology. noting or pertaining to a period of the Paleozoic Era occurring from about 280 to 230 million years ago and characterized by a profusion of amphibian species.

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noun

1. Geology. the Permian Period or System.

2. Permic.

Permian British  

/ ˈpɜːmɪən /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the last period of the Palaeozoic era, between the Carboniferous and Triassic periods, which lasted for 60 000 000 years

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noun

1. the Permian period or rock system

Permian Scientific  

/ pûr′mē-ən /

1. The seventh and last period of the Paleozoic Era, from about 286 to 245 million years ago. During the Permian Period the supercontinent Pangaea, comprising almost all of today's landmasses, formed. Gymnosperms evolved, the first modern conifers appeared, and reptiles diversified. The Permian Period ended with the largest known mass extinction in the history of life. It wiped out nearly 90 percent of known marine life forms.

2. See Chart at geologic time

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Other Word Forms

• post-Permian adjective
• pre-Permian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Permian

First recorded in 1835–45; Perm + -ian

Example Sentences

In a study published in Nature, scientists describe the exceptional preservation of a small, lizard-like reptile called Captorhinus aguti from the early Permian period.

From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026

Travis Stice, executive chairman of Permian driller Diamondback, sold $18.1 million in shares on March 6, his largest sale ever, VerityData said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

That included the $55 billion purchase of Anadarko Petroleum in 2019 that substantially increased Occidental’s U.S. production, boosting its exposure in the desirable Permian basin region of Texas.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

In the Permian basin of New Mexico and west Texas, for example, producers can more quickly and economically ramp up extraction of light crude oil trapped in shale rock.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

To no one’s surprise, Permian had just trounced the Bobcats 41-7.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger