ordovician
UK[ˌɔː.dəˈvɪʃ.ən]US[ˌɔːr.dəˈvɪʃ.ən]
adj
Relating to or denoting the second period of the Paleozoic era, between the Cambrian and Silurian periods.
n
The Ordovician period or the system of rocks deposited during it.
Etymology
The term 'Ordovician' is a modern Latin formation, coined in 1879 by the English geologist Charles Lapworth. It derives from 'Ordovices', the Latin name for an ancient Celtic tribe that inhabited the region of North Wales where rocks from this geological period were first studied. The suffix '-ian' is a common English adjectival suffix meaning "belonging to" or "relating to". Thus, the word's construction follows the established pattern of naming geological periods after the places or peoples associated with their characteristic rock strata, transitioning from a specific tribal name to a precise scientific term for a vast span of Earth's history.
Analysis
The word is a modern scientific formation derived from a proper name. It is not composed of separable, recurring morphemes with independent meanings in English.
Examples
The Ordovician period saw a great diversification of marine life.
These fossils are characteristic of late Ordovician strata.
The extinction event at the end of the Ordovician was one of the largest in Earth's history.