pluvial

UK: /ˈpluːvɪəl/ US: (plo̅o̅′vē əl)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

plu•vi•al  (plo̅o̅′vē əl), adj. 

1. Meteorology of or pertaining to rain, esp. much rain;
   rainy.
2. Geology occurring through the action of rain.

n. 

3. 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.

• Latin pluviālis, equivalent. to pluvi(a) rain + -ālis -al¹
• 1650–60

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pluvial / ˈpluːvɪəl/ adjective

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

noun

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

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin pluviālis rainy, from pluvia rain