Eocene

Meanings

Adjective

• of a geologic epoch within the Paleogene period from about 56 to 34 million years ago.

Proper Noun

• the Eocene epoch

Origin

• eo- + -cene. From Ancient Greek ἠώς ("dawn") + καινός and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch. for Charles Lyell, who introduced it in 1833 in his book Principles of Geology.