Magdalenian

[ mag-duh-lee-nee-uhn ]

adjective
  1. of or relating to the final Paleolithic culture of much of western Europe, dating from c13,000–10,000 b.c. and notable for its artifacts of bone, antler, and ivory and for the cave art of western France and northeastern Spain.

Origin of Magdalenian

1
1880–85; <French magdalénien, equivalent to Magdalen- (Latinization of La Madeleine, the type site in SW France) + -ien-ian

Words Nearby Magdalenian

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How to use Magdalenian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Magdalenian

Magdalenian

/ (ˌmæɡdəˈliːnɪən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to the latest Palaeolithic culture in Europe, which ended about 10 000 years ago

noun
  1. the Magdalenian culture

Origin of Magdalenian

1
C19: from French magdalénien, after La Madeleine, village in Dordogne, France, near which artefacts of the culture were found

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

Scientific definitions for Magdalenian

Magdalenian

[ măg′də-lēnē-ən ]


  1. Relating to the final Upper Paleolithic culture of Europe, succeeding the Solutrean and dating from about 17,000 to 11,000 years ago. Magdalenian tools and weapons are highly specialized and demonstrate skilled craftsmanship in bone and antler as well as flaked stone. The Magdalenians are best known for their sophisticated artwork, including engravings, sculpture, and polychrome wall paintings such as those found in the Altamira caverns in northern Spain.

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