Adjacent Words

Epoch definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

E'POCH, n. [L. epocha; Gr. retention, delay, stop, to inhibit; to hold.]
1. In chronology, a fixed point of time, from which succeeding years are numbered; a point from which computation of years begins. The Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the Babylonish captivity, are remarkable epochs in their history.
2. Any fixed time or period; the period when any thing begins or is remarkably prevalent; as the epoch of falsehood; the epoch of woe.
The fifteenth century was the unhappy epoch of military establishments in time of peace.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event [syn: era, epoch]
2: (astronomy) an arbitrarily fixed date that is the point in time relative to which information (as coordinates of a celestial body) is recorded [syn: epoch, date of reference]
3: a unit of geological time that is a subdivision of a period and is itself divided into ages

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Medieval Latin epocha, from Greek epoch? cessation, fixed point, from epechein to pause, hold back, from epi- + echein to hold — more at scheme Date: 1614 1. a. an event or a time marked by an event that begins a new period or development b. a memorable event or date 2. a. an extended period of time usually characterized by a distinctive development or by a memorable series of events b. a division of geologic time less than a period and greater than an age 3. an instant of time or a date selected as a point of reference (as in astronomy) Synonyms: see period

Britannica Concise

Unit of geologic time during which a rock series is deposited. It is a subdivision of a geologic period. Additional distinctions can be made by adding relative time terms, such as early, middle, and late. The use of the term is usually restricted to divisions of the Tertiary and Quaternary periods.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a period of history or of a person's life marked by notable events. 2 the beginning of an era. 3 Geol. a division of a period, corresponding to a set of strata. Phrases and idioms: epoch-making remarkable, historic; of major importance. Derivatives: epochal adj. Etymology: mod.L epocha f. Gk epokhe stoppage

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Epoch Ep"och (?; 277), n. [LL. epocha, Gr. ? check, stop, an epoch of a star, an historical epoch, fr. ? to hold on, check; 'epi` upon + ? to have, hold; akin to Skr. sah to overpower, Goth. sigis victory, AS. sigor, sige, G. sieg: cf. F. ['e]poque. See Scheme.] 1. A fixed point of time, established in history by the occurrence of some grand or remarkable event; a point of time marked by an event of great subsequent influence; as, the epoch of the creation; the birth of Christ was the epoch which gave rise to the Christian era. In divers ages, . . . divers epochs of time were used. --Usher. Great epochs and crises in the kingdom of God. --Trench. The acquittal of the bishops was not the only event which makes the 30th of June, 1688, a great epoch in history. --Macaulay. Note: Epochs mark the beginning of new historical periods, and dates are often numbered from them. 2. A period of time, longer or shorter, remarkable for events of great subsequent influence; a memorable period; as, the epoch of maritime discovery, or of the Reformation. ``So vast an epoch of time.'' --F. Harrison. The influence of Chaucer continued to live even during the dreary interval which separates from one another two important epochs of our literary history. --A. W. Ward. 3. (Geol.) A division of time characterized by the prevalence of similar conditions of the earth; commonly a minor division or part of a period. The long geological epoch which stored up the vast coal measures. --J. C. Shairp. 4. (Astron.) (a) The date at which a planet or comet has a longitude or position. (b) An arbitrary fixed date, for which the elements used in computing the place of a planet, or other heavenly body, at any other date, are given; as, the epoch of Mars; lunar elements for the epoch March 1st, 1860. Syn: Era; time; date; period; age. Usage: Epoch, Era. We speak of the era of the Reformation, when we think of it as a period, during which a new order of things prevailed; so also, the era of good feeling, etc. Had we been thinking of the time as marked by certain great events, or as a period in which great results were effected, we should have called the times when these events happened epochs, and the whole period an epoch. The capture of Constantinople is an epoch in the history of Mahometanism; but the flight of Mahomet is its era. --C. J. Smith.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(epochs) If you refer to a long period of time as an epoch, you mean that important events or great changes took place during it. The birth of Christ was the beginning of a major epoch of world history. N-COUNT: usu with supp

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Period, date, era, age, point or period of time (remarkable for some event).

Moby Thesaurus

Bronze Age, Dark Ages, Depression Era, Golden Age, Ice Age, Iron Age, Jacksonian Age, Middle Ages, New Deal Era, Prohibition Era, Silver Age, Steel Age, Stone Age, age, days, era, glacial epoch, interval, term, time