prehistorian

noun

pre·​his·​to·​ri·​an ˌprē-(h)i-ˈstȯr-ē-ən How to pronounce prehistorian (audio)
: an archaeologist who specializes in prehistory

Examples of prehistorian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The scholarly study of Ice Age art began in the 1920s with the great French prehistorian Abbé Henri Breuil, who saw it as an expression of hunting magic. Roger Lewin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 The overthrow of this hypothesis in the 1960s was led by another French prehistorian, André Leroi-Gourhan. Roger Lewin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 The Grotte du Renne was excavated between 1949 and 1963 by the late French prehistorian André Leroi-Gourhan, who found 15 levels of hominid occupation ranging from about 45,000 to 28,000 years ago. Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2010 As an amateur prehistorian then my interest in populations such as the Mbuti, Bushmen, and Andaman Islanders has been piqued. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2011 One French prehistorian has a theory that painting the handprints was a form of sacred ritual, according to the report. Fox News, 5 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prehistorian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prehistorian was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near prehistorian

Cite this Entry

“Prehistorian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prehistorian. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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