Meaning
Of a geologic period within the Cenozoic era, comprising the Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene and Holocene epochs from about 26 million years ago to the present.
Etymology
Origin: Ancient Greek
From neo- + -gene. From Ancient Greek νέος (néos, “new”) + γενεά (geneá, “generation”). Compare Ancient Greek νεογενής (neogenḗs).
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.