dryas

Meaning

Noun

• Any of several plants of the genus Dryas; the mountain avens.
• One of two periods of cold and increased glaciation thousands of years before the present (Younger Dryas and Older Dryas).

Origin

• Borrowed from Ancient Greek Δρύας, derived from δρῦς. The second definition comes from the large quantity of pollen from the plant that is found in ice cores dating from these periods.