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Ne·an·der·thal (nē-ăndər-thôl′, -tôl′, nā-ändər-täl′)
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n.
1. also Ne·an·der·tal (-tôl′, -täl′)
a. A species of extinct hominins (Homo neanderthalensis) that lived throughout most of Europe and western and central Asia during the late Pleistocene Epoch until about 30,000 years ago. Members of this species had a large skull and stocky build and are associated with Middle Paleolithic tools.
b. An individual belonging to this species.
2. Slang A crude, boorish, or slow-witted person.
adj.
1. also Ne·an·der·tal (-tôl′, -täl′) Of, having to do with, or resembling Neanderthals.
2. Slang Crude, boorish, or slow-witted.
[After Neanderthal (Neandertal), a valley of western Germany near Düsseldorf where remains of these humans were found in 1856.]
Ne·an′der·thaloid′ (-thôloid′, -tô-, -tä-) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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