Cro-Magnon

noun

Cro-Ma·gnon krō-ˈmag-nən

-ˈman-yən

: a hominid of a tall erect race of the Upper Paleolithic known from skeletal remains found chiefly in southern France and classified as the same species (Homo sapiens) as present-day humans

Examples of Cro-Magnon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For much of the 20th century, the 30,000-year-old Cro-Magnon fossils represented the earliest fossil evidence of our species in Europe. —

Brian Anthony Keeling, The Conversation, 2 May 2023 More than a decade later, in 1868, paleontologists uncovered H. sapiens fossils at the site of Cro-Magnon in southern France. —

Brian Anthony Keeling, The Conversation, 2 May 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Cro-Magnon, a cave near Les Eyzies, France

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of Cro-Magnon was in 1869

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cro-Magnon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Cro-Magnon. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.

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Kids Definition

Cro-Magnon

noun

Cro-Mag·non

krō-ˈmag-nən,

-ˈman-yən

: any of a tall erect race of people that lived approximately 35,000 to 10,000 years ago and are often placed in the same species as the human beings that live on the earth today

Cro-Magnon adjective

Etymology

from Cro-Magnon, name of a cave in France where remains of the people were found