εποχές

Etymology: From Ancient Greek ἐποχή (epochē), meaning 'a stopping, cessation, point of time'. The word is composed of ἐπί (epi, 'upon') + ἔχω (echo, 'to hold, have'), literally meaning 'a holding upon' or 'a pause'. This is the direct source of English 'epoch', making it a perfect cognate. The concept originally referred to a fixed point in time from which subsequent years are numbered, but evolved to mean any significant period or era. The astronomical sense of 'epoch' (a reference point for celestial coordinates) preserves the original meaning of a fixed temporal reference point.