glacial epoch
noun
Simple meaning
From two million to 11 thousand years ago.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
glayshuhlehpuhkSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɡleɪʃəˈlɛpək
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
From two million to 11 thousand years ago; extensive glaciation of the northern hemisphere; the time of human evolution
Any period of time during which glaciers covered a large part of the earth's surface
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: From two million to 11 thousand years ago; extensive glaciation of the northern hemisphere; the time of human evolution
Used this way, glacial epoch is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This sense is used where position and measurement matter — travel, weather and flight — so it reads as factual rather than emotive.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Geography/travel
- Weather/aviation
- Technical/specialist writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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