Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X, list of scientific terms with Scottish connections).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
-CENE, suff. Geol. Pertaining to the most recent of the great geological eras in which mammals appeared on the earth. The suffix was devised by Sir Charles Lyell (see Lyell) in 1833 Principles Geol. III. v., in such forms as Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene being added by him in 1839. The suff. has been further developed by later geologists.
[From Gk. καινς, new, recent, in relation to the Mesozoic and Palaeozoic periods.]
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"-cene ". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00089917>
