Dictionary
quat•er•nar•y
Pronunciation: (kwot'ur-ner"ē, kwu-tûr'nu-rē), [key]
—adj., n., pl. -nar•ies.
—
adj.
1. consisting of four.
2. arranged in fours.
3. (
cap.)
Geol.noting or pertaining to the present period of earth history, forming the latter part of the Cenozoic Era, originating about 2 million years ago and including the Recent and Pleistocene Epochs. See table under
geologic time.
4. Metall.(of an alloy) having four principal constituents.
—
n.
1. a group of four.
2. the number four.
3. (
cap.)
Geol.the Quaternary Period or System.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.