[moo-steer-ee-uh
n] 
| 1. | of or pertaining to a Middle Paleolithic culture of Neanderthal man dating to the early upper Pleistocene Epoch (c100,000–40,000 b.c.) and consisting of five or more stone-artifact traditions in Europe whose characteristic tools are side scrapers and points. |
| 2. | pertaining to Paleolithic human relics having the workmanship, finish, and character of the flint scrapers found in the sands of Moustier, France. |
| Mous·te·ri·an (mōō-stîr'ē-ən) adj. Designating or belonging to a Middle Paleolithic culture following the Acheulian, associated with Neanderthals and characterized by the use of flake tools. [French moustérien, after Le Moustier, a cave in southwest France.] |
Mousterian (m -stîr'ē-ən) Pronunciation Key
Relating to a Middle Paleolithic tool culture that succeeded the Acheulian, ending around 35,000 years ago and traditionally associated with Neanderthals. While Mousterian tools show improvements in stone-flaking techniques over Acheulian tools, they remain largely unchanged over long periods of time and show little of the rapid innovation and specialization that characterize tool cultures of the Upper Paleolithic associated with modern humans. |