quaternary
quaternary — 形容詞
- quaternarypositive
- more quaternarycomparative
- most quaternarysuperlative
1. Relating to the most recent geological time period, which began roughly 2.5 mill
第四紀的
約250萬年前至今的地質年代
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.
Romi 研究第四紀沉積物，以了解上一次冰河時期如何重塑地貌。
collocation: Quaternary sediments / Quaternary ice age
The research team drilled into Quaternary lake deposits looking for evidence of ancient climates.
研究團隊鑽探第四紀湖泊沉積物，尋找古代氣候的證據。
Quaternary volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest are closely watched because they are still active.
太平洋西北地區的第四紀火山仍在活動，因此受到密切監測。
Woolly mammoth and other Ice Age fossils are preserved in Quaternary rock layers.
長毛猛獁象及其他冰河時期的化石保存在第四紀岩層中。
Andrew's doctoral research examines how Quaternary glaciations carved the deep fjords of Norway.
Andrew 的博士研究探討第四紀冰川作用如何在挪威刻鑿出深邃的峽灣。
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.
四元組
由四個部分組成或以四為一組的
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.
在計算機科學中，四進位數字系統使用 0、1、2、3 四個數字。
technical context: quaternary numeral system
The protein's quaternary structure describes how its four folded subunits fit together.
蛋白質的四級結構描述了四個折疊亞基如何組裝在一起。
collocation: quaternary structure of a protein
Ilan designed a quaternary classification system where each item falls into one of four categories.
Ilan 設計了一套四部分類系統，每個項目歸入四個類別之一。
Quaternary alloys combine four metals to achieve a specific balance of strength and flexibility.
四元合金將四種金屬結合在一起，以達到特定的強度與韌性平衡。
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 — 名詞
1. The fourth and most recent division of geological time, covering the last 2.5 mi
第四紀
約250萬年前至今的地質年代
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.
地質學家將第四紀分為更新世與全新世兩個地質期。
always capitalized with 'the'; divided into Pleistocene and Holocene
Noa's fieldwork reconstructs sea-level changes that occurred during the Quaternary.
Noa 的實地研究重建了第四紀期間發生的海平面變化。
Many climate scientists argue that we are technically still living within the Quaternary today.
許多氣候科學家主張，從技術上說我們今天仍然生活在第四紀之中。
The fossil record of the Quaternary offers the clearest picture of early human migration patterns.
第四紀的化石記錄為早期人類遷徙模式提供了最清晰的圖像。
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.