paleo

1 of 2

noun

pa·​leo ˈpā-lē-ō How to pronounce paleo (audio)
 especially British  ˈpa-
plural paleos
1
or Paleo plural Paleos : a Paleo diet
By returning to the diet of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, the proponents of Paleo claim, we can restore our happiness, health, and waistlines.Alesh Houdek
In fact, so popular is paleo eating that it's been the subject of more than a dozen books … and numerous websites and blogs …Shawn Perine
2

paleo-

2 of 2

combining form

variants or before a vowel pale-
1
: involving or dealing with ancient forms or conditions
paleobotany
2
: early : primitive : archaic
Paleolithic

Examples of paleo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And Zander is on friggin' paleo! Dalton Ross, EW.com, 11 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paleo.' 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

Combining form

borrowed from New Latin palaeo-, borrowed from Greek palaio-, combining form from palaiós "old, of long standing, ancient," adjective derivative of pálai "long since, in the past," of uncertain origin

Note: Greek pálai was formerly compared with têle "far off, in the distance," both being referred to an Indo-European base *kwel-, whence also Sanskrit caramáḥ "outermost, last." However, if Mycenaean Greek pa-ra-jo- is correctly glossed as "old," the etymon would not have begun with a labiovelar and the comparison falls into serious difficulty. See John Chadwick, "The Etymology of Greek πάλαι," Glotta, Band 54, Heft 1 (1976), pp. 68-71; Chadwick suggests that if the original meaning of pálai was "in the recent past, before now," the word could be connected with pélas "near," plēsíon "nearby, neighboring."

First Known Use

Noun

1991, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of paleo was in 1991

Dictionary Entries Near paleo

Cite this Entry

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

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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