Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

interglacial

[in-ter-gley-shuh l]
adjective Geology.
  1. occurring or formed between times of glacial action.
Show More

Origin of interglacial

First recorded in 1865–70; inter- + glacial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for interglacial

Historical Examples

  • According to Penck and Brckner, therefore, the lss is of interglacial age.

    Fragments of Earth Lore

    James Geikie

  • The interglacial deposits, as described by Heer and others, are well known.

  • This we are to suppose was the cause of the interglacial epoch.

  • Interglacial ages were characterized by warmth and aridity as compared to the glacial ages.

  • The names of currently recognized glacial and interglacial ages of the Pleistocene are listed below.

British Dictionary definitions for interglacial

interglacial

adjective
  1. occurring or formed between periods of glacial action
Show More
noun
  1. a period of comparatively warm climate between two glaciations, esp of the Pleistocene epoch
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for interglacial

adj.

1867, from German, coined 1865 by Swiss naturalist Oswald Heer (1809-1883); see inter- + glacial.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
interglacial in Science

interglacial

[ĭn′tər-glā′shəl]
Adjective
  1. Occurring between glacial epochs.
Show More
Noun
  1. A comparatively short period of warmth during an overall period of glaciation. Interglacials are characterized both by the melting of ice and by a change in vegetation.
Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.