adjective
cretaceous
Made of or resembling chalk.
The cliff exposed a pale cretaceous layer.
Etymology
Latin creta means chalk, and the ending indicates material or resemblance. Cretaceous in this descriptive sense identifies something made of chalk or sharing its characteristic appearance.
More examples
- A cretaceous deposit left chalky dust on the brush.
- The specimen had a soft, cretaceous texture.
- The geologist described the chalklike material as cretaceous.
Forms
cretaceous
Similar words
- chalky
- Chalky is the ordinary descriptive word; cretaceous is more technical.
- calcareous
- Calcareous means containing calcium carbonate; cretaceous more specifically suggests chalk.