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Holocene

American  
[hol-uh-seen, hoh-luh-] / ˈhɒl əˌsin, ˈhoʊ lə- /

adjective

  1. recent.

noun

  1. recent.

Holocene British  
/ ˈhɒləˌsiːn /

adjective

  1. of, denoting, or formed in the second and most recent epoch of the Quaternary period, which began 10 000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocene

"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

noun

  1. the Holocene epoch or rock series

"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
Holocene Scientific  
/ hŏl′ə-sēn′,hō′lə-sēn′ /

  1. The more recent of the two epochs of the Quaternary Period, beginning at the end of the last major Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. It is characterized by the development of human civilizations.

  2. Also called Recent

  3. See Chart at geologic time

Etymology

Origin of Holocene

First recorded in 1895–1900; holo- + -cene

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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.