Cro-Magnon
Americannoun
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an Upper Paleolithic population of humans, regarded as the prototype of modern Homo sapiens in Europe. Skeletal remains found in an Aurignacian cave in southern France indicate that the Cro-Magnon had long heads, broad faces, and sunken eyes, and reached a height of approximately 5 feet 9 inches (175 centimeters).
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a member of the Cro-Magnon population.
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An early form of modern human (Homo sapiens) inhabiting Europe in the late Paleolithic Period, from about 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, characterized by a broad face and tall stature. It is known from skeletal remains first found in the Cro-Magnon cave in southern France. Cro-Magnons coexisted with European Neanderthal populations for several thousand years, although there is little evidence of interbreeding.
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See more at Aurignacian
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Cro-Magnon people painted the walls of their caves, producing some of the earliest known human art.
Etymology
Origin of Cro-Magnon
First recorded in 1865–70; named after the cave (near Périgueux, France) where the first remains were found
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.
He said he based the concept of He-Man on his vision of Cro-Magnon men, as well as Vikings.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 25, 2021
He was 18 when he made his first professional sale, a short story called “Spear and Fang” in which a Cro-Magnon rescues his mate from a Neanderthal.
From Washington Times • May 8, 2018
Neanderthal characters are slightly more appealing in Jean M. Auel’s 1980 novel, “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” a best-selling prehistoric drama about an orphaned Cro-Magnon girl who is taken in by a Neanderthal tribe.
From New York Times • May 25, 2017
His giants, Cro-Magnon cannibals though they may be, are played less for bloodthirsty menace than for buffoonish comedy, setting the stage for a few rambunctious but perfunctory action sequences.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2016
In shorts and rubber-soled shoes he looked vulnerable and misplaced, like a Cro-Magnon man lost in the centuries.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
