epochal

/ˈɛpəkəl/

Other forms: epochally

Epochal describes events so important and significant they have the power to usher in a new epoch. In other words they're "epoch-making."

The big bang. The moment when man learned to make fire. The day your braces were removed. These events are epochal in that they mark the dawn of a new era, or epoch, of time. Both epoch and epochal derive from the Latin epocha, which in turn derives from the Greek epekhein, which combines epi "on" with ekhein "to hold," and means to pause or take up a position. Think of epochal events as worthy of an arrow on the timeline of history.

Definitions of epochal

1. adjective

   highly significant or important especially bringing about or marking the beginning of a new development or era
   “epochal decisions made by Roosevelt and Churchill”

   synonyms: epoch-making

   important, significant

   important in effect or meaning