See Also: Neanderthal(dictionary)
Neanderthal(encyclopedia)
Neanderthal man(dictionary)
neanderthal(dictionary)

Neanderthal (iou)



Neanderthal adjective & noun. Also Neandertal, neanderthal. M19.
[The valley of the River Neander, near Dusseldorf in western Germany (German Tal, older Thal valley).]
A. adjective.
Designating, pertaining to, or characteristic of a palaeolithic fossil hominid, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, with a retreating forehead and massive brow-ridges, known from Europe, Africa, and Asia. Esp. in Neanderthal man. M19.
B. J. Williams In 1958 part of a Neandertal skull was recovered from a cave at Ma-pa.
fig. Primitive, uncivilized, uncouth; reactionary, extremely conservative. joc. & derog. E20.
Observer Neanderthal grunts over the cornflakes..were the best most husbands could manage. Times Literary Supplement He tried to keep Neanderthal republicans happy.
b. noun. A Neanderthal hominid. Also fig. (joc. & derog.), a primitive, uncivilized, or uncouth person; a reactionary or extremely conservative person. L19.
Neanderthaler noun a Neanderthal man E20.
Neanderthaloid adjective & noun (pertaining to or designating) a Neanderthal man or similar middle palaeolithic hominid L19.