Holocene
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
noun
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The more recent of the two epochs of the Quaternary Period, beginning at the end of the last major Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. It is characterized by the development of human civilizations.
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Also called Recent
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See Chart at geologic time
Etymology
Origin of Holocene
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Example Sentences
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About 7,300 years ago, it produced the largest known volcanic eruption of the Holocene, the current geological epoch, which began roughly 11,700 years ago.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the following years, that surprise broadened into a question: “What are so many dogs doing in the visual arts from the Holocene 12,000 years ago to the present?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The melting occurred during the Holocene, the relatively stable climate period that began 11,000 years ago and continues today.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 18, 2026
Scientists have discovered that the magma reservoir tied to the largest volcanic eruption of the Holocene is filling again.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 29, 2026
This timing in the Late Holocene period lines up with broader climatic shifts in the region, the researchers noted, coming around the same time as low-magnitude fires became more commonplace in the landscape.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
