Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A large portion of a continental plate that has been relatively undisturbed since the Precambrian Era and includes both shield and platform layers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A part of the Earth’s crust that has survived the splitting and merging of continents.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the part of a continent that is stable and forms the central mass of the continent; typically Precambrian

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[German Kraton, from Greek kratos, power; see kar- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek κράτος (kratos, "strength, might").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word craton.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.