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Neanderthal

adj, noun — 7 senses

Neanderthal

adj

UK /niːˈæn.dəˌtɑːl/ · US /niˈæn.dɚˌθɑl/

Etymology

From obsolete German Neanderthal, now spelled Neandertal, the name of a valley (German Tal, older also spelled Thal) near Düsseldorf where the first Neanderthal was discovered in 1856. A hollow near the valley was known as Neanderhöhle (“Neander Hollow”) and Neandershöhle (“Neander’s Hollow”) in the early 19th century, and the valley had been renamed to Neanderthal in 1850, in honour of the German Calvinist theologian and hymn writer Joachim Neander (1650–1680). Before, the valley was known as das Gesteins (literally “The Rocks [sg.]”) and Hundsklipp (literally “Dog Cliff”). The name of Joachim Neander is based on the Ancient Greek translation (νέος (néos) + ᾰ̓νήρ (ănḗr)) of his original surname Neumann (“Newman”). The pronunciation with the "th" sound (/θ/) is a spelling pronunciation; the original German word is pronounced with a "t" sound (/t/).

1

Of or pertaining to Homo neanderthalensis.

  • The capacity of the Neanderthal skull was 10% larger than that of modern humans.
  • […]In short, many assessments conclude that East Asians have more Neanderthal ancestry than Europeans, who have more Neanderthal ancestry than people in the Middle East.2019, Razib Khan, Arabia between Africa and Eurasia:
2

Broadly, Derogatory Old-fashioned, opposed to change.

3

Broadly, Derogatory Primitive, savage or uncivilized.

4

Of or pertaining to the Neander Valley in Germany.

Neanderthal

noun
Etymology

From obsolete German Neanderthal, now spelled Neandertal, the name of a valley (German Tal, older also spelled Thal) near Düsseldorf where the first Neanderthal was discovered in 1856. A hollow near the valley was known as Neanderhöhle (“Neander Hollow”) and Neandershöhle (“Neander’s Hollow”) in the early 19th century, and the valley had been renamed to Neanderthal in 1850, in honour of the German Calvinist theologian and hymn writer Joachim Neander (1650–1680). Before, the valley was known as das Gesteins (literally “The Rocks [sg.]”) and Hundsklipp (literally “Dog Cliff”). The name of Joachim Neander is based on the Ancient Greek translation (νέος (néos) + ᾰ̓νήρ (ănḗr)) of his original surname Neumann (“Newman”). The pronunciation with the "th" sound (/θ/) is a spelling pronunciation; the original German word is pronounced with a "t" sound (/t/).

1

A specimen of the now extinct species Homo neanderthalensis.

  • These injuries may reflect the rigors of hunting with the Neanderthals' limited repertoire of weapons; the Neanderthals never seem to have developed projectiles, so they would have to have gotten more or less on top of their prey in order to kill them.2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Picador, →ISBN, pages 250–251:
2

Derogatory A primitive, savage or uncivilized person.

3

Derogatory, Ethnic, Slur A white person.

Derived terms
meanderthal, Neandersovan, Neanderthalian, Neanderthalic, Neanderthaloid, sheanderthal

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.