cultural anthropology

noun

the branch of anthropology dealing with the origins, history, and development of human culture, and including in its scope the fields of archaeology, ethnology, and ethnography.

Also called social anthropology.

Compare physical anthropology.

Origin:
1920–25

Related forms

cultural anthropologist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To cultural anthropology

Collins

World English Dictionary

cultural anthropology

—n
	the branch of anthropology dealing with cultural as opposed to biological and racial features

cultural anthropologist

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Relevant Questions

What Is Culture In Anthr...

00:10

Cultural anthropology is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

cultural anthropology

(kŭl'chər-əl) Pronunciation Key
The branch of anthropology that studies the development of human cultures based on ethnographic, linguistic, social, and psychological data. Compare physical anthropology.

Matching Quote

"... with every Asiatic country where we operate in cooperation with the existing culture, the need for intelligent understanding of that country and its ways of life will be crucial. These nations will very likely not respond to appeals with which we are familiar, and not value rewards which seem to us irresistible. The danger—and it would be fatal to world peace—is that in our ignorance of their cultural values we shall meet in head-on collision and incontinently fall back on the old pattern of imposing our own values by force."

-Ruth Benedict

Remove ads like these. Upgrade now!