Neanderthal man

noun

a member of an extinct subspecies of powerful, physically robust humans, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, that inhabited Europe and western and central Asia c100,000–40,000 b.c.

Neanderthal man

noun

a type of primitive man, Homo neanderthalensis, or H. sapiens neanderthalensis, occurring throughout much of Europe in late Palaeolithic times: it is thought that they did not interbreed with other early humans and are not the ancestors of modern humans

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of Neanderthal man¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of Neanderthal man¹

C19: from the anthropological findings (1857) in the Neandertal, a valley near Düsseldorf, Germany

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A Neanderthal man is believed to have dipped his finger in red pigment to paint a nose on a pebble around 43,000 years ago.

From

One of its biggest eruptions took place 39,000 years ago and might have led to the extinction of Neanderthal man, researchers say.

From

It’s like you have Neanderthal man and Homo sapiens living together.

From

A smaller number of remains were found by chance in the Guattari Cave in 1939, making it "one of the most significant places in the world for the history of Neanderthal man", the ministry said.

From

The larynx of Neanderthal man, like the larynx of those great orators the chimpanzees, sat higher than our own.

From

Neanderthal Neanderthaloid

Browse