epoch

[ ep-uhkor, especially British, ee-pok ]

noun

1. a particular period of time marked by distinctive features, events, etc.:

   The treaty ushered in an epoch of peace and good will.

   Synonyms: time, era, date, age

2. the beginning of a distinctive period in the history of anything:

   The splitting of the atom marked an epoch in scientific discovery.

3. a point of time distinguished by a particular event or state of affairs; a memorable date:

   His coming of age was an epoch in his life.

4. Geology. any of several divisions of a geologic period during which a geologic series is formed. Compare age ( def 12 ).
5. Astronomy.
   1. an arbitrarily fixed instant of time or date, usually the beginning of a century or half century, used as a reference in giving the elements of a planetary orbit or the like.
   2. the mean longitude of a planet as seen from the sun at such an instant or date.
6. Physics. the displacement from zero at zero time of a body undergoing simple harmonic motion.

epoch

/ ˈiːpɒk; ˈɛpˌɒkəl /

noun

1. a point in time beginning a new or distinctive period

   the invention of nuclear weapons marked an epoch in the history of warfare

2. a long period of time marked by some predominant or typical characteristic; era
3. astronomy a precise date to which information, such as coordinates, relating to a celestial body is referred
4. geology a unit of geological time within a period during which a series of rocks is formed

   the Pleistocene epoch

5. physics the displacement of an oscillating or vibrating body at zero time

epoch

/ ĕp′ək,ē′pŏk′ /

1. The shortest division of geologic time . An epoch is a subdivision of a period.

Derived Forms

• epochal, adjective
• ˈepˌochally, adverb

Other Words From

• sub·epoch noun
• super·epoch noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of epoch¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from New Latin epocha, from Greek epochḗ “pause, check, fixed time,” from ep- ep- + och- (variant stem of échein “to have, hold, keep”) + -ē, noun suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of epoch¹

C17: from New Latin epocha, from Greek epokhē cessation; related to ekhein to hold, have

Synonym Study

See age.

Example Sentences

In its press release, the Academy said the dictionary is a “mirror of an epoch running from the 1950s up to today,” and boasts 21,000 new entries compared to the 1935 version.

From BBC

That was a very important epoch in human history.

From Salon

"In these early epochs, the amount of gas around galaxies is so large that continuous star formation is the norm. But in this galaxy this process is not happening."

From Salon

Now the site "stands on the threshold of a new epoch", said Tom Sawyer, chief executive of Milford Haven Port Authority.

From BBC

This all suggests that cumulative culture arose near the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene epoch, possibly predating the divergence of Neanderthals and modern humans.

From Science Daily