Gondwanan

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Relating to or characteristic of Gondwana, the ancient supercontinent that once joined South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and India
2. Describing something connected with Gondwana, the vast landmass that broke apart into several southern continents millions of years ago
3. Pertaining to the former supercontinent Gondwana, whose fragmentation gave rise to the southern hemisphere's modern continents and their geological features

Etymology: Gondwanan is a geological term, and its history is mostly the history of the name it comes from. Gondwana is the name of a vast southern supercontinent that once united present-day South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, India and several other landmasses before they drifted apart. The name itself was taken from Gondwana, a region of central India whose name derives from the Gond people, and geologists applied it to the ancient landmass because rocks of similar age and character were found across the far-flung southern continents. The suffix "-an" simply turns the proper noun into an adjective meaning "of or relating to Gondwana," so it can describe rock formations, fossils, or the plant and animal populations shared by those continents.