Hol·o·cene (h?l??-s?n?, h??l?-)adj. Of, relating to, or being the epoch of geologic time from about 12,000 years ago to the present, the more recent of the two epochs of the Quaternary Period. It began at the end of the last Ice Age and is characterized by the development of human civilizations. See Table at geologic time.n. The Holocene Epoch.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Holocene (?h?l??si?n) adj (Geological Science) of, denoting, or formed in the second and most recent epoch of the Quaternary period, which began 10 000 years ago at the end of the Pleistocenen (Geological Science) the Holocene the Holocene epoch or rock series Also called: RecentCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014re?cent (?ri s?nt) adj. 1. of late occurrence, appearance, or origin; lately happening, done, made, etc.: recent events. 2. of or belonging to a time not long past. 3. (cap.) Geol. noting or pertaining to the present epoch, originating at the end of the glacial period, about 10,000 years ago, and forming the latter part of the Quaternary Period; Holocene. n. 4. Also called Holocene. (cap.) Geol. the Recent Epoch. [1525?35; : See modern. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Hol·o·cene (h?l??-s?n?, h??l?-s?n?) The more recent of the two epochs of the Quaternary Period, beginning at the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. It is characterized by the development of human civilizations. Also called Recent. See Chart at geologic time.The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.