definitions

cultural anthropology

noun

the branch of anthropology dealing with the origins, history, and development of human culture, and including in its scope the fields of archaeology, ethnology, and ethnography.

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Nearby words

cultivated, cultivation, cultivator, cultrate, cultural, cultural anthropology, cultural appropriation, cultural capital, cultural cringe, cultural diversity, cultural exchange
Compare physical anthropology.

Origin of cultural anthropology

First recorded in 1920–25
Also called social anthropology.

Related forms

cultural anthropologist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cultural anthropology

cultural anthropology

noun

the branch of anthropology dealing with cultural as opposed to biological and racial features

Derived Forms

cultural anthropologist, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for cultural anthropology

cultural anthropology

[ kŭl′chər-əl ]

The branch of anthropology that studies the development of human cultures based on ethnographic, linguistic, social, and psychological data. Compare physical anthropology.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.