Pluvial relates to or is characterized by rain, or caused by rain, originating from religious cloaks and used in geology for wet periods.
Pluvial describes something relating to or characterized by rain, or resulting from rain's action. It originated from 'pluvials', religious cloaks worn for protection from rain, and is used in geology for rainy periods.
| Word | pluvial |
|---|---|
| Date | April 9, 2007 |
| Type | adjective |
| Syllables | PLOO-vee-ul |
| Etymology | In the early 17th century, clerics began wearing long cloaks known as "pluvials" for protection against the rain during processions. The name of the cloak is based on the Latin word for "rain": "pluvia." By the mid-17th century, "pluvial" was also being used as an adjective meaning "of or relating to rain," as in "pluvial water." Later, in the 19th century, it made a splash in the geologic field as a word describing epochs having relatively high average rainfall and things caused or formed by rain, like "pluvial erosion" or "pluvial lakes." *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
| Examples | The pluvial climate of England didn't dampen our trip; instead, it gave us a chance to visit some excellent pubs and chat with the locals. |
| Definition | 1 a : of or relating to rain b : characterized by abundant rain 2 : resulting from the action of rain |
Tags: wordoftheday::adjective
Learn with these flashcards. Click next, previous, or up to navigate to more flashcards for this subject.
Next card: Chimera bellerophon monster march noun kye-meer-uh greek mythology
Previous card: God deus machina greek resolve april noun day-us-eks-mah-kih-nuh
Up to card list: Word of the Day