adj.
- Of or belonging to the geologic time, system of rocks, and sedimentary deposits of the third and last period of the Mesozoic Era, characterized by the development of flowering plants and ending with the sudden extinction of the dinosaurs and many other forms of life.
- cretaceous Of, containing, or resembling chalk.
The Cretaceous Period or its system of deposits.
[From Latin crētāceus, chalky, from crēta, chalk, from Crēta (terra), Cretan (earth).]
cretaceously cre·ta'ceous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
