neanderthal
part of speech
noun (a Neanderthal, Neanderthals); adjective (Neanderthal)
meaning for a pupil
1) A Neanderthal was a kind of early human who lived in Europe and western Asia from about 400,000 to about 40,000 years ago and then died out. tree →
2) (informal, rude) Calling someone a neanderthal means they are rough, rude or old-fashioned in their ideas. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history and science lessons about the Stone Age, Neanderthals made stone tools, used fire, wore clothes, buried their dead and maybe made art; many people today carry a little Neanderthal DNA. The old idea that they were stupid brutes is a myth. In stories and insults, «neanderthal» unfairly means boorish. Common phrases: «Neanderthal man», «Neanderthal tools», «Neanderthal DNA».
examples
- Neanderthals lived during the Ice Age. tree →
- Neanderthals made sharp stone tools. tree →
- Scientists found Neanderthal bones in a cave in Germany. tree →
- Some of our DNA comes from Neanderthals. tree →
- Neanderthals had big, strong bodies for the cold. tree →
- «Don't be such a neanderthal!» she said when he burped at the table. tree →
- Neanderthals and modern humans lived at the same time for thousands of years. tree →
note
Usually written with a capital N for the early humans. Say nee-AN-der-tahl (also -thal). Named after the Neander Valley in Germany, where bones were found. Myth: Neanderthals were not simple cavemen who grunted — they were clever and skilled.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «neanderthal» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.