Pleistocene

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek πλεῖστος (pleîstos, most) and καινός (kainós, new), meaning “newest”, coined by Charles Lyell in 1839.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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Pleistocene (not comparable)

  1. (geology) Of a geologic epoch within the Quaternary 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

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Proper noun

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Pleistocene

  1. (geology) The Pleistocene epoch.
    • 1977, F. Clark Howell, “Introduction”, in Paleoanthropology in the People's Republic of China[1], →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 3:
      A prehistoric site of late Pleistocene age, which was especially prepared for our visit, was seen at Ting-ts'un, above the Fen River (Shansi).
    • 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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Charles Lyell (1839) Nouveaux éléments de géologie (in French), Paris: Pitois-Levranet, page 621

Further reading

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