Pleistocene (adj.)

in geology, in reference to the most recent division of the Tertiary, 1833, from plio- "more" (Latinized form of pleio-) + -cene "recent." Execrated by classical purists (along with Miocene and Eocene); a proper form from Greek would be *Plionocene. Roughly 5.3 million to 2.6 million years ago, it is distinguished from the other two epochs by having more fossils of still-existing species. The Pliocene and the more recent Pleistocene, both comparatively brief, commonly now are combined as the Plio-Pleistocene. 

word-forming element in geology to indicate more recent periods, introduced by Sir Charles Lyell (1797-1875), from Latinized form of Greek kainos "new," cognate with Latin recens (see recent). Also see Cenozoic.