quaternary
quaternary — adjective
- quaternarypositive
- more quaternarycomparative
- most quaternarysuperlative
1. Relating to the most recent geological time period, which began roughly 2.5 mill
Relating to the most recent geological time period, which began roughly 2.5 million years ago and continues to the present day. This period is marked by repeated ice ages and the rise of modern humans.
Romi studies Quaternary sediments to understand how the last ice age reshaped the landscape.
collocation: Quaternary sediments / Quaternary ice age
The research team drilled into Quaternary lake deposits looking for evidence of ancient climates.
Quaternary volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest are closely watched because they are still active.
Woolly mammoth and other Ice Age fossils are preserved in Quaternary rock layers.
Andrew's doctoral research examines how Quaternary glaciations carved the deep fjords of Norway.
用法筆記
Always written with a capital Q when referring to the geological time unit ('the Quaternary period'). The lowercase form ('quaternary') appears only in general technical contexts meaning 'fourth in order'.
常見錯誤
2. Made up of or organized into groups of four units, elements, or components.
Made up of or organized into groups of four units, elements, or components.
In computing, a quaternary numeral system uses four digits: 0, 1, 2, and 3.
technical context: quaternary numeral system
The protein's quaternary structure describes how its four folded subunits fit together.
collocation: quaternary structure of a protein
Ilan designed a quaternary classification system where each item falls into one of four categories.
Quaternary alloys combine four metals to achieve a specific balance of strength and flexibility.
用法筆記
Almost exclusively used in specialized academic or technical fields. In chemistry it describes compounds with four components or atoms bonded to four others. In mathematics it refers to base-4 number systems. In everyday English, phrases like 'four-part' or 'four-stage' are preferred.
常見錯誤
quaternary — noun
1. The fourth and most recent division of geological time, covering the last 2.5 mi
The fourth and most recent division of geological time, covering the last 2.5 million years up through the present. Alternating glacial cycles and the emergence of Homo sapiens are the defining features of this period.
The Quaternary is divided into the Pleistocene and the Holocene epochs by geologists.
always capitalized with 'the'; divided into Pleistocene and Holocene
Noa's fieldwork reconstructs sea-level changes that occurred during the Quaternary.
Many climate scientists argue that we are technically still living within the Quaternary today.
The fossil record of the Quaternary offers the clearest picture of early human migration patterns.
用法筆記
Always capitalized. Usually appears with the definite article: 'the Quaternary'. Geologists frequently use 'the Quaternary' alone without adding 'period' — the noun form already implies the time unit. The Quaternary is the shortest of the geological periods but contains the entire history of humankind.