Paleolithic Hear it!

Paleolithic Definition

Paleo·lithic (pā′lē ə lit̸h′ik)

adjective

designating or of an Old World cultural period (c. 2 million-c. 10,000 ) before the Mesolithic, characterized by the use of flint, stone, and bone tools, hunting, fishing, and the gathering of plant foods

Etymology: paleo- + -lithic

Paleolithic Idioms

the Paleolithic

the Paleolithic period, subdivided into the Lower (to c. 150,000 ), Middle (to c. 38,000 ), and Upper stages; Old Stone Age

Paleolithic Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • era: The oldest traces of human habitation in this region reach back into the Paleolithic era.
  • period: Acknowledgment: I learned this activity from Mario Rinvolucri [ Editorial note: this learning took place in the later Paleolithic period!
  • time: Mersin, built on a site dating back to Paleolithic times, is a major port.
  • art: From the New York Review of Books, which really should know better, a potentially interesting review of two books on paleolithic art.
  • painting: Paleolithic cave paintings from the Ardèche courtesy of the French Ministry of Culture.
  • man: These pictures are the continuation of the tradition started by Paleolithic man, who made pictures on cave walls.