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pluvial

American  
[ploo-vee-uhl] / ˈplu vi əl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to rain, especially much rain; rainy.

  2. Geology. occurring through the action of rain.

noun

  1. Geology. a rainy period formerly regarded as coeval with a glacial age, but now recognized as episodic and, in the tropics, as characteristic of interglacial ages.

pluvial British  
/ ˈpluːvɪəl /

adjective

  1. of, characterized by, or due to the action of rain; rainy

    pluvial insurance
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. geology of or relating to rainfall or precipitation

  2. a climate characterized by persistent heavy rainfall, esp one occurring in unglaciated regions during the Pleistocene epoch

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pluvial Scientific  
/ plo̅o̅′vē-əl /

  1. Relating to or caused by rain.

Other Word Forms

  • interpluvial adjective

Etymology

Origin of pluvial

1650–60; < Latin pluviālis, equivalent to pluvi ( a ) rain + -ālis -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There has also been pluvial - or surface water - flooding, which is a direct result of intense or prolonged rainfall that overwhelms drainage systems.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.