Pleistocene

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Meaning "most new; newest", pertaining to the glacial period, coined in 1839 by Charles Lyell from the Greek πλεῖστος (pleîstos, “most”) (superlative of πολύς (polús, “much”); see poly-) and καινός (kainós, “new”) (latinised as cænus).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈplaɪstəˌsiːn, -toʊ-/

Adjective

Pleistocene (not comparable)

  1. (geology) Of a geologic epoch within the Neogene period from about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago (earlier definition 1.7 million to 11,000 years ago); marked by the evolution of man, and the extinction of the large mammals.

Translations

Proper noun

Pleistocene

  1. (geology) The Pleistocene epoch.
    • 2017, Anthony J. McMichael, Alistair Woodward, Cameron Muir, Climate Change and the Health of Nations, →ISBN, page 89:
      Throughout the Pleistocene, climatic changes exerted another type of selective pressure on human biological evolution, contributing to the rapid emergence of various Homo species over time.

Translations

See also
  • Appendix:Geologic timescale
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.