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.
The researchers examined 309 individuals from 16 archaeological sites across Vietnam, covering a period from 10,000 to 1,000 years before the present time.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
"For decades, congenital infection in archaeological remains has often been taken as strong evidence of venereal syphilis," the study's lead author Dr. Melandri Vlok said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli hailed the wreck as "one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The chance discovery led to one of the greatest archaeological finds in modern history, and the artifacts from Sanxingdui stirred questions that still perplex experts four decades later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
While engaged in these diggings, he achieved his first archaeological triumph when he discovered a gold earring that dated back to King Midas’s time.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
