troglodyte
[ trog-luh-dahyt ]
/ ˈtrɒg ləˌdaɪt /
noun
a prehistoric cave dweller.
a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.
a person living in seclusion.
a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.
an animal living underground.
Origin of troglodyte
1545–55; < Latin
trōglodyta < Greek
trōglodýtēs one who creeps into holes, cave dweller, equivalent to
trōglo- (combining form of
trṓglē a gnawed hole; cf.
trogon) +
dý(ein) to creep into +
-tēs agent suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM troglodyte
trog·lo·dyt·ic [trog-luh-dit-ik] /ˌtrɒg ləˈdɪt ɪk/, trog·lo·dyt·i·cal, adjective trog·lo·dyt·ism [trog-luh-dahy-tiz-uh m] /ˈtrɒg lə daɪˌtɪz əm/, nounWords nearby troglodyte
trode,
troezen,
troffer,
trog,
troglobiont,
troglodyte,
troglotrema salmincola,
trogon,
troia,
troika,
troilism
Example sentences from the Web for troglodyte
British Dictionary definitions for troglodyte
troglodyte
/ (ˈtrɒɡləˌdaɪt) /
noun
a cave dweller, esp one of the prehistoric peoples thought to have lived in caves
informal
a person who lives alone and appears eccentric
Derived forms of troglodyte
troglodytic (ˌtrɒɡləˈdɪtɪk) or troglodytical, adjectiveWord Origin for troglodyte
C16: via Latin from Greek
trōglodutēs one who enters caves, from
trōglē hole +
duein to enter