prehuman
|pre-hu-man|
/ˌpriːˈhjuːmən/
before humans
Etymology
'prehuman' originates from the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae') meaning 'before' combined with 'human' (from Latin 'humanus').
'human' comes from Latin 'humanus', passed into Old French as 'humain' and then into Middle English as 'human'. The compound 'pre-' + 'human' is formed in Modern English to denote 'before humans'.
Initially a transparent compound meaning 'before human(s)', it has retained that literal sense and is used chiefly in scientific or historical contexts to describe periods or beings preceding modern humans.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an organism or hominin that lived prior to the emergence of modern humans; a being from a prehuman period.
Researchers studied several prehumans to trace the development of bipedalism.
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Adjective 1
existing, occurring, or belonging to a time before the appearance of anatomically modern humans; preceding human presence.
Fossils from the prehuman era reveal how primates adapted to changing climates.
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Last updated: 2025/10/03 05:43