name · noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkam.bɹɪ.ən ɪkˈspləʊ.ʒən/
General-American:/ˈkæm.bɹi.ən ɛkˈsploʊ.ʒən/
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
name
Meaning 1
The relatively rapid appearance, during the Cambrian Period around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla, as demonstrated in the fossil record.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: evolutionary biology
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: biological big bang
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The rapid appearance of anything.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Examples
There has been a Cambrian explosion of cryptocurrencies.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Of unclear origin, inspired by George Gaylord Simpson's description of "explosive" evolution. The earliest known use is in a BSCS high school biology textbook written in 1961 under the direction of paleobotanist Wilson Steward.
Across languages
Translations
43 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
انفجار كامبري
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Azerbaijani:
kembri partlayışı
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Basque:
Kanbriarreko leherketa
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Catalan:
explosió cambriana
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Chinese:
Cambria po̍k-hoat
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Chinese Mandarin:
寒武纪大爆发
(Hánwǔjì dàbàofā)
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Czech:
Kambrická exploze
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Danish:
Kambriske Eksplosion
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Dutch:
Cambrische explosie
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Esperanto:
kambria eksplodo
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Finnish:
kambrikauden räjähdys
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
French:
explosion cambrienne
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Galician:
explosión cámbrica
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
German:
kambrische Explosion
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
German:
kambrische Artenexplosion
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
German:
kambrische Radiation
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Hebrew:
הפיצוץ הקמבריוני
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Hindi:
कैम्ब्रियाई विस्तार
(kaimbriyāī vistār)
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Hungarian:
kambriumi robbanás
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Indonesian:
letusan Kambrium
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Indonesian:
radiasi Kambrium
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Italian:
esplosione cambriana
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Japanese:
カンブリア爆発
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Korean:
캄브리아기 폭발
(kambeuriagi pokbal)
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Lithuanian:
Kambro sprogimas
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Norwegian Bokmål:
den kambriske eksplosjon
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Norwegian Nynorsk:
den kambriske eksplosjonen
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Persian:
انفجار کامبرین
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Polish:
eksplozja kambryjska
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Portuguese:
explosão cambriana
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Portuguese:
explosão do Cambriano
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Romanian:
explozia cambriană
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Russian:
кембрийский взрыв
(kembrijskij vzryv)
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Russian:
взрыв скелетной фауны
(vzryv skeletnoj fauny)
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Serbo-Croatian:
Kambrijska eksplozija
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Serbo-Croatian:
Камбријумска експлозија
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Slovak:
kambrická explózia
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Spanish:
explosión cámbrica
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Spanish:
radiación evolutiva del Cámbrico
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Swedish:
kambriska explosionen
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Turkish:
Kambriyen patlaması
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Ukrainian:
кембрійський вибух
(kembrijsʹkyj vybux)
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla
Vietnamese:
bùng nổ kỷ Cambri
— the rapid appearance, around 541 million years ago, of most major animal phyla