ClimateAugust 15, 2026

precessional

pree-SESH-uh-nul

Definition

Relating to the slow, conical movement of the Earth's axis of rotation, which changes the orientation of the Earth in space over thousands of years.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'praecedere' (to go before), the term entered English via astronomy to describe the 'precession of the equinoxes,' the process where the equinox points shift slowly backward along the ecliptic.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe one of the Milankovitch cycles that drive natural shifts between ice ages and warmer periods, explaining how scientists calculate the Earth's long-term climate rhythms.

The Ice Age That Never Came: Climate Myths Uncovered

Read the full article ↗

heartlandstribune.com

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