Pliocene

[ plahy-uh-seen ]

adjective

noting or pertaining to an epoch of the Tertiary Period, occurring from 10 to 2 million years ago, and characterized by increased size and numbers of mammals, by the growth of mountains, and by global climatic cooling.

noun

the Pliocene Epoch or Series.

Origin of Pliocene

First recorded in 1825–35; plio- + -cene

Other words from Pliocene

post-Pli·o·cene, adjective

Words Nearby Pliocene

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Pliocene in a sentence

With carbon dioxide levels at 417 parts per million and rising—their highest since the Pliocene period 3 million years ago—it wasn’t enough to simply not pollute the air.
This restaurant duo want a zero-carbon food system. Can it happen? | Bobbie Johnson | September 24, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
He may not be from the Pliocene Era, but his views sure are.
Creationists Stall Eight-Year-Old Girl’s Idea for State Fossil for South Carolina | Scott Bixby | March 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It may have been as far back as the early Pliocene or the late Miocene Period, or even earlier.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
Pliocene deposits have been found in the Riviera at an altitude of 1,800 feet.
A Study of Recent Earthquakes | Charles Davison
The climatic conditions of Pliocene times show steady fall of temperature.
The Principles of Stratigraphical Geology | J. E. Marr

The term 'Crag' has been applied to shelly sands of which the British Pliocene beds are largely composed.
The Principles of Stratigraphical Geology | J. E. Marr
Ameghino refers it to the Pliocene period, excepting the lower divisions which he regards as upper Miocene.
Prehistoric Man | W. L. H. Duckworth

British Dictionary definitions for Pliocene

Pliocene

Pleiocene

/ (ˈplaɪəʊˌsiːn) /

adjective

of, denoting, or formed in the last epoch of the Tertiary period, which lasted for three million years, during which many modern mammals appeared

noun

the Pliocene the Pliocene epoch or rock series

Origin of Pliocene

C19: plio- + -cene, from Greek kainos recent

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 Pliocene

Pliocene

[ plī′ə-sēn′ ]

The fifth and last epoch of the Tertiary Period, from about 5 to 2 million years ago. During this time the global climate became cooler and the number and expanse of grasslands and savannas increased greatly. This change in vegetation was accompanied by an increase in long-legged grazers. The land bridge between North America and South America also formed at this time, and massive ice sheets accumulated at the poles. In the later part of the epoch many of the species living in polar regions became extinct. See Chart at geologic time.

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