Neolithic - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Ne·o·lith·ic

Audio Help [nee-uh-lith-ik] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

(sometimes lowercase

) Anthropology. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the last phase of the Stone Age, marked by the domestication of animals, the development of agriculture, and the manufacture of pottery and textiles: commonly thought to have begun c9000–8000 b.c. in the Middle East. Compare Mesolithic, Paleolithic.

2.	(usually lowercase) belonging to or remaining from an earlier era; outdated; passé.

[Origin: 1860–65; neo- + -lithic

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Neolithic

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ne·o·lith·ic Audio Help   (nē'ə-lĭth'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
adj.   Of or relating to the cultural period of the Stone Age beginning around 10,000 B.C. in the Middle East and later elsewhere, characterized by the development of agriculture and the making of polished stone implements.

n.   The Neolithic Period. Also called New Stone Age. See Usage Note at Three Age system.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
neolithic

"pertaining to the later Stone Age," 1865, coined by John Lubbock, later Baron Avebury, (1834-1913) from neo- + Gk. lithos "stone."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

neolithic
adjective
1.	of or relating to the most recent period of the Stone Age (following the mesolithic); "evidence of neolithic settlements"
noun
1.	latest part of the Stone Age beginning about 10,000 BC in the Middle East (but later elsewhere) [syn: Neolithic Age]

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neolithic Audio Help (nē'ə-lĭth'ĭk) Pronunciation Key
The period of human culture that began around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East and later in other parts of the world. It is characterized by the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools. The Neolithic Period is generally considered to end for any particular region with the introduction of metalworking, writing, or other developments of urban civilization. Also called New Stone Age. Compare Mesolithic , Paleolithic.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Neolithic

Ne`o*lith"ic\, a. [Neo- + -lith + -ic.] (Arch[ae]ol. & Geol.) Of or pertaining to, or designating, an era characterized by late remains in stone.

The Neolithic era includes the latter half of the "Stone age;" the human relics which belong to it are associated with the remains of animals not yet extinct. The kitchen middens of Denmark, the lake dwellings of Switzerland, and the stockaded islands, or "crannogs," of the British Isles, belong to this era. --Lubbock.

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