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troglodyte

 - 4 dictionary results

trog⋅lo⋅dyte

  [trog-luh-dahyt]
Use troglodyte in a Sentence
–noun
1. a prehistoric cave dweller.
2. a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.
3. a person living in seclusion.
4. a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.
5. an animal living underground.
Origin:
1545–55; < L trōglodyta < Gk trōglodýtēs one who creeps into holes, cave dweller, equiv. to trōglo- (comb. form of trglē a gnawed hole; cf. trogon ) + dý(ein) to creep into + -tēs agent suffix

Related forms:
trog⋅lo⋅dyt⋅ic  [trog-luh-dit-ik] , trog⋅lo⋅dyt⋅i⋅cal, adjective
trog⋅lo⋅dyt⋅ism  [trog-luh-dahy-tiz-uhm] , noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To troglodyte
trog·lo·dyte   (trŏg'lə-dīt')   
n.  

    1. A member of a fabulous or prehistoric race of people that lived in caves, dens, or holes.

    2. A person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.

    3. An anthropoid ape, such as a gorilla or chimpanzee.

    4. An animal that lives underground, as an ant or a worm.

    1. An anthropoid ape, such as a gorilla or chimpanzee.

    2. An animal that lives underground, as an ant or a worm.


[From Latin Trōglodytae, a people said to be cave dwellers, from Greek Trōglodutai, alteration (influenced by trōglē, hole, and -dutai, those who enter) of Trōgodutai.]
trog'lo·dyt'ic (-dĭt'ĭk), trog'lo·dyt'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) 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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Word Origin & History

troglodyte 
"cave-dweller," 1555, from L. troglodytae (plural), from Gk. troglodytes "cave-dweller," lit. "one who creeps into holes," from trogle "hole" (from trogein "to gnaw;" see trout) + dyein "go in, dive in." Slang shortening trog "obnoxious person, boor" is recorded from 1956.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

troglodyte jargon
(Commodore) 1. A hacker who never leaves his cubicle. The term "Gnoll" (from Dungeons & Dragons) is also reported.
2. A curmudgeon attached to an obsolescent computing environment. The combination "ITS troglodyte" was flung around some during the Usenet and e-mail wringle-wrangle attending the 2.x.x revision of the Jargon File; at least one of the people it was intended to describe adopted it with pride.
[The Jargon File]
(1995-01-11)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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