noun epoch A period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics. 1
noun Definition of epoch in Technology 1. (operating system) (Probably from astronomical timekeeping) A term used originally in Unix documentation for the time and date corresponding to zero in an operating system's clock and timestamp values. Under most Unix versions the epoch is 1970-01-01 00:00:00 GMT; under VMS, it's 1858-11-17 00:00:00 (the base date of the US Naval Observatory's ephemerides); on a Macintosh, it's 1904-01-01 00:00:00. System time is measured in seconds or ticks past the epoch. Weird problems may ensue when the clock wraps around (see wrap around), which is not necessarily a rare event; on systems counting 10 ticks per second, a signed 32-bit count of ticks is good only for 0.1 * 2**31-1 seconds, or 6.8 years. The one-tick-per-second clock of Unix is good only until 2038-01-18, assuming at least some software continues to consider it signed and that word lengths don't increase by then. See also wall time. 2. (editor) (Epoch) A version of GNU Emacs for the X Window System from NCSA. 1
abbreviation EPOCH era 1
noun epoch the time at which observations are made, as of the positions of planets or stars 0
noun epoch a subdivision of a period in geologic time corresponding to the rock strata of a series (sense 6) 0
noun epoch A particular period of history, especially one considered remarkable or noteworthy. 0
noun epoch A notable event which marks the beginning of such a period. 0
noun epoch (astronomy) A precise instant of time that is used as a reference point. 0
noun epoch (Uncountable Noun) (computing) A precise instant of time that is used as a reference point (e.g. January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC). 0
verb epoch (Transitive Verb) (sciences) To divide (data) into segments by time period. 0
countable noun epoch If you refer to a long period of time as an epoch, you mean that important events or great changes took place during it. 0
countable noun epoch An epoch is a very long period of time in the earth's development, marked by particular physical or biological characteristics. 0
noun epoch a point in time beginning a new or distinctive period 0
noun epoch a long period of time marked by some predominant or typical characteristic; era 0
noun epoch a precise date to which information, such as coordinates, relating to a celestial body is referred 0
noun epoch a unit of geological time within a period during which a series of rocks is formed 0
noun epoch the displacement of an oscillating or vibrating body at zero time 0
noun epoch the beginning of a new and important period in the history of anything 0
noun epoch a period of time considered in terms of noteworthy and characteristic events, developments, persons, etc. 0
