51Թ

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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: , , ,

  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
“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

epoch

/ ĕə,ŧŏ′ /

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

  • epochal, adjective
  • ˈˌdz󲹱, adverb
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • ܲ·o noun
  • p·o noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of epoch1

First recorded in 1605–15; from New Latin epocha, from Greek dzḗ “pause, check, fixed time,” from ep- ep- + och- (variant stem of é𾱲 “to have, hold, keep”) + -ŧ, noun suffix
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of epoch1

C17: from New Latin epocha, from Greek ǰŧ cessation; related to ekhein to hold, have
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Synonym Study

See age.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The specials were a blatant attempt to offer something for everyone, in a precable epoch defined by broadcasting, as opposed to today’s narrowcasting.

From

Significantly, the Miocene was a nearly 18 million year epoch full of change, albeit far slower change than ours.

From

What had been the backbeat of a bygone epoch, the waltz amazingly survived in the 20th century.

From

In addition to these two impacts, existing evidence suggests three smaller asteroids also hit Earth during this time -- the late Eocene epoch -- pointing to a disturbance in our solar system's asteroid belt.

From

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

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