Pleistocene

American  

[plahy-stuh-seen] / ˈplaɪ stəˌsin /

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to the epoch forming the earlier half of the Quaternary Period, beginning about two million years ago and ending 10,000 years ago, characterized by widespread glacial ice and the advent of modern humans.

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noun

1. the Pleistocene Epoch or Series.

Pleistocene British  

/ ˈplaɪstəˌsiːn /

adjective

1. of, denoting, or formed in the first epoch of the Quaternary period, which lasted for about 1 600 000 years. It was characterized by extensive glaciations of the N hemisphere and the evolutionary development of man

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noun

1. the Pleistocene epoch or rock series

Pleistocene Scientific  

/ plī′stə-sēn′ /

1. The earlier of the two epochs of the Quaternary Period, from about 2 million to 10,000 years ago. The Pleistocene Epoch was characterized by the formation of widespread glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere and by the appearance of humans. Mammals included both small forms, such as saber-toothed tigers and horses and giant ones, such as mammoths and mastodons. Almost all the giant mammals, including woolly mammoths, giant wolves, giant ground sloths, and massive wombats disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene and the start of the Holocene.

2. See Chart at geologic time

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Other Word Forms

• post-Pleistocene
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of Pleistocene

First recorded in 1830–40; from Greek pleîsto(s) “most” (superlative of polýs “much”) + -cene

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pleistocene

Instead, the genetic record points to a gradual decline that stretched from the early Pleistocene into the late Pleistocene.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

Cooling temperatures during the shift from the Pliocene to the early Pleistocene, along with major changes in local habitats, may have contributed to the disappearance of Limnospondylus ajimuensis.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

The same bounty that makes the Tar Pits the best place on Earth to study its slice of the late Pleistocene epoch also makes for a move of truly mammoth proportions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

The lush greenery in the leafy inner courtyard will be replaced with plants more closely related to those of the late Pleistocene, such as cypress and toyon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

On the other hand, human population densities were gradually rising throughout the late Pleistocene anyway, thanks to improvements in human technology for collecting and processing wild foods.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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