Pleistocene

[ plahy-stuh-seen ]

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.

noun

1. the Pleistocene Epoch or Series.

Pleistocene

/ 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

noun

1. the Pleistocene
   the Pleistocene the Pleistocene epoch or rock series

Pleistocene

/ 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

Other Words From

• post-Pleisto·cene adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pleistocene¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pleistocene¹

C19: from Greek pleistos most + kainos recent

Example Sentences

We still have ice from the warmer parts of the Pleistocene even as our temperature approaches the warmer Pliocene levels of 3 million years ago.

From Ars Technica

In the Shadow of the Sabertooth: Global Warming, the Origins of the First Americans and the Terrible Beasts of the Pleistocene.

From The Daily Beast

The habitat requirements of elk and their speed of migration are probably the same today as at the end of the Pleistocene.

From The Daily Beast

But proponents of the so-called paleo lifestyle are taking it back a bit further—all the way to the Pleistocene.

From The Daily Beast

And the bones of man himself appear, extending through what is known as the Quaternary or Pleistocene period.

From Project Gutenberg

The land-connexion between England and the continent was not finally severed until the latter part of the Pleistocene period.

From Project Gutenberg

In pleistocene days the earth's climate was evidently much damper than at present.

From Project Gutenberg

Uplift and erosion to lower Pleistocene baselevel; deposition of low-level Columbia.

From Project Gutenberg

Uplift, warping and erosion to Pleistocene baselevel; deposition of high-level Columbia.

From Project Gutenberg