archaeological
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of archaeological
1775–85; < Greek archaiologik ( ós ) ( see archaeology, -ic) + -al 1
Explanation
An old house that has sat abandoned for hundreds of years isn’t just creepy — it’s archaeological! This is because its remains offer a treasure trove of details about the past and the lives of those who once called it home. The term archaeological describes anything connected to the field of archaeology, which is the study of human history and the past. Archaeological digs and findings help piece together human history like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Objects can include anything from pottery shards to old bones, adding a piece to the story of human life on Earth. It’s like time traveling through objects, where every discovery teaches us something new about our ancestors.
Vocabulary lists containing archaeological
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Moving chronologically from the Neolithic period into the 21st century, “Cats: A History” collates a remarkable array of archaeological, artistic and literary sources to report on various human-feline relationships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Under Scots law, archaeological finds discovered in Scotland must be reported to the Treasure Trove Unit, external, based at NMS, where they are recorded and assessed.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
By analyzing DNA from the plague bacterium preserved in archaeological human remains, scientists were able to reconstruct how the disease spread, evolved, and repeatedly reappeared long after the Black Death.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
What to know: A comedy about women on an archaeological dig, the show reunites Amy Poehler and “Parks and Recreation” creator Michael Schur, and is based on the novel “Excavations” by Kate Myers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Below all the archaeological layers with undoubted human presence, at many of those same sites, deeper older layers have been excavated and still yield undoubted remains of animals—but with no further evidence of humans.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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