interglacial

[ in-ter-gley-shuhl ]

/ ˌɪn tərˈgleɪ ʃəl /

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adjective Geology.

occurring or formed between times of glacial action.

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Origin of interglacial

First recorded in 1865–70; inter- + glacial

Words nearby interglacial

intergalactic, intergalactic space, intergenerational, intergenerational mobility, intergeneric, interglacial, interglyph, intergovernmental, intergradation, intergrade, intergranular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use interglacial in a sentence

The researchers also used computer models to simulate climate conditions the plants faced during glacial and interglacial cycles.
Fossilized plants give us hints about what ice age forests may have looked like|Kate Baggaley|October 13, 2021|Popular-Science
“This is an ice age, and so a lot of the Earth’s surface was very cold at different times of the year in both the glacial and interglacial scenarios,” Matthaeus says.
Fossilized plants give us hints about what ice age forests may have looked like|Kate Baggaley|October 13, 2021|Popular-Science
We’re technically in the midst of an ice age now, living through an interglacial that started about 11,000 years ago.
Fossilized plants give us hints about what ice age forests may have looked like|Kate Baggaley|October 13, 2021|Popular-Science
The last four interglacials, according to the USGS, have lasted over approximately 20,000 years, “with the warmest portion being a relatively stable period of 10,000 to 15,000 years duration.”
Why Birds Can Fly Over Mount Everest - Issue 94: Evolving|Walter Murch|December 30, 2020|Nautilus

During the first and second interglacial epochs the climate appears to have been warmer than at present.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
He also took up a much bolder attitude on the question of interglacial deposits and the relation of man to the Ice Age.
James Geikie|Marion I. Newbigin
In both cases it is extremely difficult, or quite impossible, to assign the remains to definite glacial or interglacial times.
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton
Many of the valleys of our present rivers are but patchworks of preglacial, interglacial, and postglacial courses (Fig. 366).
The Elements of Geology|William Harmon Norton
It was followed by the Third Interglacial epoch which may have extended over at least 100,000 years.
Ancient Man in Britain|Donald A. (Donald Alexander) Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for interglacial

interglacial

/ (ˌɪntəˈɡleɪsɪəl, -ʃəl) /

adjective

occurring or formed between periods of glacial action

noun

a period of comparatively warm climate between two glaciations, esp of the Pleistocene epoch

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

Scientific definitions for interglacial

interglacial

[ ĭn′tər-glā′shəl ]

Adjective

Occurring between glacial epochs.

Noun

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.