neanderthal definition | Dictionary.com

Ne⋅an⋅der⋅thal

[nee-an-der-thawl, -tawl, -tahl; ney-ahn-der-tahl]

–adjective

1.	of or pertaining to Neanderthal man.

2.	(often lowercase) Informal. primitive, unenlightened, or reactionary; culturally or intellectually backward.

–noun

3.	Neanderthal man.

(often lowercase

) Informal.

a.	an unenlightened or ignorant person; barbarian.

b.	a reactionary; a person with very old-fashioned ideas.

Also, Ne⋅an⋅der⋅tal [nee-an-der-tawl, -tahl; ney-ahn-der-tahl]

(for defs. 1, 3).

Origin:
1860–65; after Neanderthal, valley in Germany, near Düsseldorf, where evidence of Neanderthal man was first found

Related forms:

Ne⋅an⋅der⋅thal⋅er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To neanderthal

Ne·an·der·thal (nē-ān'dər-thôl', -tôl', nā-än'dər-täl')

1. An extinct human species (Homo neanderthalensis) or subspecies (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) living during the late Pleistocene Epoch throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia and northern Africa and associated with Middle Paleolithic tools.
2. An individual belonging to this species or subspecies.
Slang A crude, boorish, or slow-witted person.

adj.

Of, having to do with, or resembling Neanderthals.
Slang Crude, boorish, or slow-witted.

[After Neanderthal (Neandertal), a valley of western Germany near Düsseldorf.]
Ne·an'der·thal'oid' (-thô'loid', -tô'-, -tä'-) adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Neanderthal

Ne*an"der*thal`\, a. (Anthropol.) Of, pertaining to, or named from, the Neanderthal, a valley in the Rhine Province, in which were found parts of a skeleton of an early type of man. The skull is characterized by extreme dolichocephaly, flat, retreating forehead, with closed frontal sutures, and enormous superciliary ridges. The cranial capacity is estimated at about 1,220 cubic centimeters, being about midway between that of the Pithecanthropus and modern man. Hence, designating the

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Neanderthal [(nee-an-duhr-thawl, nee-an-duhr-tawl)]

The ancient and now extinct relatives of modern humans. Neanderthals lived in Europe about 150,000 years ago and were the earliest form of the human species, Homo sapiens.

Note: The term Neanderthal is sometimes used to refer to a person who is thought to have primitive or unenlightened ideas: “I tried talking politics to Joe, but he's a real Neanderthal.”

Neanderthal

1861, from Ger. Neanderthal "Neander Valley," gorge near Düsseldorf where humanoid fossils were identified in 1856.

Neanderthal (nē-ān'dər-thôl', -tôl') or Neandertal (nē-ān'dər-thôl', -tôl') Pronunciation Key
An extinct variety of human that lived throughout Europe and in parts of western Asia and northern Africa during the late Pleistocene Epoch, until about 30,000 years ago. Neanderthals had a stocky build and large skulls with thick eyebrow ridges and big teeth. They usually lived in caves, made flaked stone tools, and were the earliest humans known to bury their dead. Neanderthals were either a subspecies of modern humans (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) or a separate, closely related species (Homo neanderthalensis). They coexisted with early modern humans (Cro-Magnons) for several thousand years before becoming extinct, but are not generally believed to have interbred with them. See also Mousterian.

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