pro·to·his·to·ry

[proh-toh-his-tuh-ree, -his-tree]
noun, plural pro·to·his·to·ries.
1.
a branch of study concerned with the transition period between prehistory and the earliest recorded history.
2.
the period in a culture immediately before its recorded history begins.
Origin:
1915–20; proto- + history

Related forms
pro·to·his·to·ri·an [proh-toh-hi-stawr-ee-uhn, -stohr-] , noun
pro·to·his·tor·ic [proh-toh-hi-stawr-ik, -stor-] , pro·to·his·tor·i·cal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Protohistory is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
protohistory (ˌprəʊtəʊˈhɪstərɪ, -ˈhɪstrɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
the period or stage of human development or of a particular culture immediately prior to the emergence of writing
 
protohistoric
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Example sentences
Protohistory is defined as the period of culture immediately before its recorded history begins.
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