Neanderthal

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a member of an extinct human species, Homo neanderthalensis, that lived in Europe and western Asia until about 40,000 years ago

   Genetic evidence shows that some Neanderthals interbred with early modern humans.

2. 2
   adj

   relating to Neanderthals, their anatomy, culture, or period

   The cave contained Neanderthal tools and animal bones.

3. 3
   noun

   informal and disparaging: a person regarded as crude, unintelligent, or resistant to change

   Calling a colleague a Neanderthal is insulting and says nothing about the extinct human species.

Simplified etymology

Neanderthal is named after the Neandertal, or formerly Neanderthal, Valley in western Germany, where the remains were first discovered. Its final element is German Tal, formerly spelled Thal, meaning “valley.”

From German Neanderthal, the older spelling of Neandertal ("Neander Valley") near Dusseldorf, where a famous fossil was found in 1856. The valley honored hymn writer Joachim Neander; German Tal means "valley." The species name Homo neanderthalensis followed from the site.

Topics

External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary