supercontinent

noun

su·​per·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkän-tə-nənt How to pronounce supercontinent (audio)
-ˌkänt-nənt
: a hypothetical former large continent from which other continents are held to have broken off and drifted away

Examples of supercontinent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This ancient connection is one of many biological clues supporting the former geographic links within the Gondwana supercontinent, which began breaking apart into today’s continents around 180 million years ago. Scott Travers, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024 The discovery was a significant piece of the puzzle in understanding how early snakes lived and evolved, suggesting that snakes originated in Gondwana, a supercontinent that once included South America, Africa and India. Scott Travers, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024 Researchers have now unearthed an explanation for these formations—and the story starts with the break-up of an ancient supercontinent. Rudy Molinek, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Aug. 2024 At the time of the Permian extinction, Earth was dominated by a supercontinent, Pangaea, which ran from pole to pole, leaving Tethys and Panthalassa to encircle much of the planet. Bypaul Voosen, science.org, 12 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for supercontinent 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supercontinent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of supercontinent was in 1960

Dictionary Entries Near supercontinent

Cite this Entry

“Supercontinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supercontinent. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

supercontinent

noun
su·​per·​con·​ti·​nent ˈsü-pər-ˌkänt-ᵊn-ənt How to pronounce supercontinent (audio)
-ˌkänt-nənt
: a former large continent which is assumed to have existed and from which other continents broke off and drifted away

More from Merriam-Webster on supercontinent

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