Pleistocene

== English == === Alternative forms === (abbreviation) Ps === Etymology === From Ancient Greek πλεῖστος (pleîstos, “most”) and καινός (kainós, “new”), meaning “newest”, coined by Charles Lyell in 1839. By surface analysis, containing the suffix -cene. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈplaɪstəˌsiːn/, /-toʊ-/ === Adjective === Pleistocene (not comparable) (geology) Of a geologic epoch within the Quaternary period from about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago (earlier definition 1.7 million to 11,000 years ago); marked by the evolution of man, and the extinction of the large mammals. ==== Translations ==== === Proper noun === Pleistocene (geology) The Pleistocene epoch. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === Appendix:Geologic timescale === References === === Further reading === Pleistocene on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “Pleistocene”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.