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.

Origin of Neanderthal man

First recorded in 1860–65

British Dictionary definitions for neanderthal man

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

Word Origin for Neanderthal man

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