Meanings
plinian1
adjectiveplinian (not comparable)
- not comparableDescriptive of a style of volcanic eruption similar in character and in intensity to that of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius witnessed by Pliny the Younger.
The earliest activity of Monte Vulture, central Italy, included ignimbrites but the bulk of the volcano was built up by plinian airfall deposits.
1988 July, J. E. Guest, A. M. Duncan, D. K. Chester, “Monte Vulture Volcano (Basilicata, Italy): an analysis of morphology and volcaniclastic facies”, in Bulletin of Volcanology, volume 50, number 4, Springer Science+Business Media, →DOI, archived from the original on 08 Jun 2018, pages 244–257
Plinian2
adjectivePlinian (not comparable)
- not comparableOf or pertaining to Pliny the Younger or Pliny the Elder.
Origin
Translations
French plinien
- plinienof or pertaining to Pliny the Younger or Pliny the Elder
Italian pliniano
- plinianoof or pertaining to Pliny the Younger or Pliny the Elder
Cite this entry
APA
plinian. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plinian
MLA
“plinian.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plinian. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plinian,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plinian.
Source: plinian on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.