epoch
Notable historical stretch
An epoch is a distinct period of time, especially one marked by notable events or characteristics: the epoch of industrialization, the Victorian epoch.
In geology and astronomy, epoch has precise technical meanings for divisions of time.
The word suggests a significant era rather than just any stretch of time—epochs are memorable, defining periods that shape what follows.
Duration of existence
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- eonImmense time division
- millenniumSpan of thousand years
- centuryHundred-year span
timespan · antiquity · medieval · renaissance · baroque · enlightenment · industrial · modern
Horizontal layer of material
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- quaternaryFourth-order or four-bonded
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
carbon dating · radiometric · geochronology · formation · layer · bedrock · deposit · cretaceous
Point of creation
- inceptionFounding moment
- dawnDay's first glow
- commencementAct of starting
- birthComing into the world
outset · onset · advent · threshold · origination · inauguration · nascence · infancy
Drainage area boundary
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- landmarkNotable point of reference
- breakthroughSudden important advance
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
cornerstone · pivotal moment · sea change · paradigm shift · revolution · transformation · crossroads · inflection point
Recorded moment identifier
- UnixMultitasking operating system family
- reference pointStandard for comparison
- system clockHardware time tracker
- synchronizationAligning timing across systems
datetime · milliseconds · interval · origin · zero point · offset · UTC
age
Duration of existence
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- eonImmense time division
- millenniumSpan of thousand years
century · timespan · antiquity · medieval · renaissance · baroque · enlightenment · industrial · modern · contemporary
stratum
Horizontal layer of material
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- fossilPreserved ancient organism
- quaternaryFourth-order or four-bonded
ice age · carbon dating · radiometric · geochronology · formation · layer · bedrock · deposit · cretaceous
genesis
Point of creation
- inceptionFounding moment
- dawnDay's first glow
- commencementAct of starting
birth · outset · onset · advent · threshold · origination · inauguration · nascence · infancy · prologue
watershed
Drainage area boundary
- turning pointDecisive moment of change
- landmarkNotable point of reference
- breakthroughSudden important advance
benchmark · cornerstone · pivotal moment · sea change · paradigm shift · revolution · transformation · crossroads · inflection point · juncture
timestamp
Recorded moment identifier
- UnixMultitasking operating system family
- reference pointStandard for comparison
- system clockHardware time tracker
synchronization · datetime · milliseconds · interval · origin · zero point · offset · UTC
- historical erasStone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Ages, Renaissance
- Geochronologygeologic time, geologic time scale, time scale, timescale, deep time
- neural networksneural network, neural networks, hidden layers, backpropagation, layers
- chronoclock, watch, timer, stopwatch, sundial
- historyancient civilizations, past events, historian, era, timeline
- timesecond, minute, hour, day, seconds
epochmoment
Brief period of time
instant · second · flash · split second · blink
epochtimelessness
Freedom from temporal decay
eternity · timeless · eternal · infinity · perpetuity
- prehistoric epochsGeological time before records
- historical epochsDesignated periods of history