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.
They headed to the backyard, where a dozen containers lay in the sun, one for each of the international archaeological missions that had been working in Sudan before the war’s start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
In Beirut, whose history spans over 5,000 years, Laure Salloum oversees archaeological excavations in the chaotic modern city.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Each Friday during the spring semester, students practice the basic techniques of archaeological fieldwork while investigating Mission San Francisco de Potano, a centuries-old site in northwest Gainesville.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
As a young woman in the 1920s, she disguised herself as a man and worked on a local archaeological dig at the Roman Villa Casale until she was ratted out and sent packing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Our archaeological knowledge of China’s emerging cities and states then becomes supplemented by written accounts of China’s first dynasties, going back to the Xia Dynasty, which arose around 2000 B.C.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
