Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pliocene

/ˈplaɪəsiːn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.68 in modern English

Syllables: pliocene
IPA: /ˈplaɪəsiːn/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

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.

name

The Pliocene epoch.

Example Sentences

"[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 "."

Etymology

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.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: πλείων

Inflected Forms

Pleiocene (alternative)

Derived Forms

postpliocene

Phrases

Pliocene Ridge

Frequently Paired Words

Postpliocene

Rhymes With

miocene

Questions

How do you pronounce pliocene?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈplaɪəsiːn/.
What does pliocene mean?: 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.
Where does pliocene come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce pliocene

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pliocene”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈplaɪəsiːn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pliocene”.
Repeat and practice — Say “pliocene” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.