Pliocene

P3L1I1O1C3E1N1E1
/ˈplaɪəsiːn/

adjective

Of a geologic epoch within the Neogene period from about 5.3 to 1.7 million years ago; marked by the appearance of humanity's first ancestors.

OriginAncient Greek πλείων →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

adjectivePliocene (not comparable)

alternative Pleiocene

  1. not comparablegeographyOf a geologic epoch within the Neogene period from about 5.3 to 1.7 million years ago; marked by the appearance of humanity's first ancestors.

    [I]n a final sentence he expressed his conviction that his opponents "did not in truth represent the thought of the twentieth century, but might rather be regarded as mental fossils dug from some early Pliocene horizon ".

    1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019
proper noun

alternative Pleiocene

  1. geographyThe Pliocene epoch.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπλείων“more”
  2. EnglishPliocene

From Ancient Greek πλείων (pleíōn, “more”) + καινός (kainós, “new”). Coined by English philosopher and historian of science William Whewell in 1831 for Charles Lyell, who introduced it in 1833 in his book Principles of Geology. By surface analysis, pleio- + -cene.

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan pliocè, pliocènic
  • pliocèof the Pliocene epoch
  • pliocènicof the Pliocene epoch
  • Pliocègeology, the Pliocene epoch
Czech pliocén
  • pliocéngeology, the Pliocene epoch
Dutch plioceen
  • plioceengeology, the Pliocene epoch
Estonian pliotseen
  • pliotseengeology, the Pliocene epoch
Finnish plioseenikautinen, plioseenikausi
  • plioseenikautinenof the Pliocene epoch
  • plioseenikausigeology, the Pliocene epoch
Greek πλειόκαινος, Πλειόκαινο
  • πλειόκαινος (pleiókainos)of the Pliocene epoch
  • Πλειόκαινο (Pleiókaino)geology, the Pliocene epoch
Hindi अतिनूतन युग
  • अतिनूतन युग (atinūtan yug)of the Pliocene epoch
Italian Pliocene
  • Pliocenegeology, the Pliocene epoch
Polish plioceński, pliocen
  • plioceńskiof the Pliocene epoch
  • pliocengeology, the Pliocene epoch

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

epiclone
Cite this entry
APA

Pliocene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pliocene

MLA

“Pliocene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pliocene. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Pliocene,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Pliocene.

Source: Pliocene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.