pluvial
Americanadjective
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of or relating to rain, especially much rain; rainy.
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Geology. occurring through the action of rain.
noun
adjective
noun
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geology of or relating to rainfall or precipitation
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a climate characterized by persistent heavy rainfall, esp one occurring in unglaciated regions during the Pleistocene epoch
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pluvial
1650–60; < Latin pluviālis, equivalent to pluvi ( a ) rain + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
The word pluvial is used in science to describe anything related to rain. A geologist might refer to a lake formed by ancient downpours as a pluvial lake. Pluvial comes from the Latin word pluvia, meaning "rain." As a noun, it refers to a long stretch of Earth's history when certain regions received much more rainfall than they do today, creating massive lakes in what might now be deserts. Geologist study such ancient pluvial periods to understand climate shifts. Today, a meteorologist might refer to a season with abundant rainfall as a pluvial season. A rainforest has a pluvial climate. The word pluvial has the same root as pluvimeter, the technical name for a rain gauge.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There has also been pluvial - or surface water - flooding, which is a direct result of intense or prolonged rainfall that overwhelms drainage systems.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Averaged out at the global scale, the team found that 15.46% of all meteorological droughts were succeeded by a pluvial the following season.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 24, 2024
The flash flooding—experts call it pluvial flooding—that hit Zhengzhou, in contrast, showed how quickly torrential downpours can turn deadly in a densely packed modern city.
From Science Magazine ● Jul. 29, 2021
Two of the largest pluvial lakes were Lake Bonneville and Lake Lahontan.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
Don Antolin, with his great silver staff and a pluvial of white brocade, went from one place to another collecting the employees of the Church; Gabriel saw him approaching, red-faced and perspiring.
From The Shadow of the Cathedral by Gillespie, Mrs. W. A.
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.
