Mesolithic

American  

[mez-uh-lith-ik, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˈlɪθ ɪk, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

adjective

Anthropology.

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a transitional period of the Stone Age intermediate between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods, characterized by adaptation to a hunting, collecting, and fishing economy based on the use of forest, lakeside, and seashore environments; Epipaleolithic.

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Mesolithic British  

/ ˌmɛsəʊˈlɪθɪk /

noun

1. the period between the Palaeolithic and the Neolithic, in Europe from about 12 000 to 3000 _bc , characterized by the appearance of microliths

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Mesolithic

Mesolithic Scientific  

/ mĕz′ə-lĭth′ĭk /

1. The cultural period of the Stone Age that developed primarily in Europe between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, beginning around 10,000 years ago and lasting in various places as late as 3000 bce. The Mesolithic is marked by the appearance of small-bladed, often hafted stone tools and weapons and by the beginnings of settled communities. European Mesolithic cultures existed contemporaneously with the early Neolithic cultures of the Middle East and disappeared in any particular region with the introduction of agriculture.

2. Also called Middle Stone Age

3. Compare Neolithic Paleolithic

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Etymology

Origin of Mesolithic

First recorded in 1865–70; meso- + -lithic

Example Sentences

"The Neanderthals and the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were active co-creators of Europe's ecosystems," says Jens-Christian Svenning.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

How can they know so much about the tools of the Mesolithic period and French kings and differential equations and the moons of Neptune?

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2024

Mysteries remain about Vittrup Man, but this detailed understanding of his geographic and dietary life history provides new insights into interactions between Mesolithic and Neolithic societies in Europe.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2024

In European archaeology, there is a longstanding perception that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers ate lots of seafood, but that when people started farming, they focused on food sourced from land, such as their livestock.

From Salon • Oct. 25, 2023

Mesolithic, or Secondary Epoch, constitutes the Age of Reptiles and Pine Forests, Coniferæ, and is made up of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Chalk Period.

From Was Man Created? by Mott, Henry A. (Henry Augustus)