pre·hu·man
(ˈ)prē-ˈhyü-mən 
-ˈyü-
1
: antedating the appearance of human beings
2
: of, relating to, or being an extinct primate and especially an extinct hominid that resembles or is ancestral to humans
: an extinct primate and especially an extinct hominid that resembles or is ancestral to humans
Examples of prehuman in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew Curry, Discover Magazine, 4 May 2010
The shadows of many prehuman civilizations could, in principle, lurk hidden in such subtleties.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2018
Ben Ehrenreich, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
Unexpected fossil finds keep showing us an ever-expanding variety of human and prehuman species.
—Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011
Probably not, given that the earliest prehuman bipeds were more forest-dwelling.
—David P. Barash, WSJ, 16 June 2021
His greed is hard-wired, a genetic inheritance, a prehuman trait that this human has turned into a rage for power.
—New York Times, 30 Nov. 2020
The researchers have proposed testing prehuman fossils for the presence or absence of this sialic acid.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2019
Neu5Gc was lost when the mutation in prehumans inactivated a gene called CMAH, functional in other animals.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2019
The shadows of many prehuman civilizations could, in principle, lurk hidden in such subtleties.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2018
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Adjective
Biologists worldwide are increasingly talking about using large herbivores like the ones sharp-eyed passengers can spot from the train to re-create prehistoric, and sometimes even prehuman, ecosystems.
—Andrew Curry, Discover Magazine, 4 May 2010
The shadows of many prehuman civilizations could, in principle, lurk hidden in such subtleties.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2018
Noun
Geological events that took place deep in the prehuman past determined the distribution of the hydrocarbon deposits—oil and coal—that have intimately shaped the geopolitics of the last century and a half.
—Ben Ehrenreich, The New Republic, 10 May 2023
Unexpected fossil finds keep showing us an ever-expanding variety of human and prehuman species.
—Jill Neimark, Discover Magazine, 28 July 2011
Probably not, given that the earliest prehuman bipeds were more forest-dwelling.
—David P. Barash, WSJ, 16 June 2021
His greed is hard-wired, a genetic inheritance, a prehuman trait that this human has turned into a rage for power.
—New York Times, 30 Nov. 2020
The researchers have proposed testing prehuman fossils for the presence or absence of this sialic acid.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2019
Neu5Gc was lost when the mutation in prehumans inactivated a gene called CMAH, functional in other animals.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2019
The shadows of many prehuman civilizations could, in principle, lurk hidden in such subtleties.
—Steven Ashley, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Prehuman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prehuman. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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