Word.ws English Dictionary

Alvarez theory

Alvarez theory proper noun: the hypothesis that the mass extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other living things during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth.

Proper noun

the Alvarez theory

  1. The hypothesis that the mass extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other living things during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth.

Origin of Alvarez theory

Named after Luis and Walter Alvarez, who suggested it in 1980.

Questions about Alvarez theory

What does Alvarez theory mean?
Alvarez theory means the hypothesis that the mass extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other living things during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth.
What part of speech is Alvarez theory?
Alvarez theory is a proper noun.

Words near Alvarez theory in the dictionary

  1. Alvarado
  2. Alvardo
  3. Alvardos
  4. alvaresaurid
  5. Alvarez
  6. Alvarez theory
  7. Alvarez waves
  8. Alvarez' syndrome
  9. Alvarezes
  10. alvarezsaur
  11. alvarezsaurian

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: Alvarez theory (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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