Mousterian

or Mous·tie·ri·an

[ moo-steer-ee-uhn ]

/ muˈstɪər i ən /

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adjective Anthropology.

of or relating to a Middle Paleolithic culture of Neanderthal man dating to the early upper Pleistocene Epoch (c100,000–40,000 b.c.) and consisting of five or more stone-artifact traditions in Europe whose characteristic tools are side scrapers and points.

pertaining to Paleolithic human relics having the workmanship, finish, and character of the flint scrapers found in the sands of Moustier, France.

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Origin of Mousterian

1885–90; <French moust(i)érien;see -ian

Words nearby Mousterian

mousseline de soie, mousseline sauce, Moussorgsky, moustache, moustache cup, Mousterian, mousy, MOUT, mouth, mouthbreeder, mouthbrooder

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Mousterian in a sentence

The implements are of a roughly-chipped type resembling those of the Mousterian period.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
For the evidence of the stone implements accompanying the human bones is fairly definite: it points to the Mousterian age.
Prehistoric Man|W. L. H. Duckworth
It is not clearly stated whether implements of Mousterian type occurred in these, the deepest strata of the cave-floor.
Prehistoric Man|W. L. H. Duckworth
A human skeleton was found in the floor of the grotto, and below strata characterised by Mousterian implements.
Prehistoric Man|W. L. H. Duckworth

This is described by some authorities as Mousterian, by others as Aurignacian; in either case as of an early Palaeolithic aspect.
Prehistoric Man|W. L. H. Duckworth

British Dictionary definitions for Mousterian

Mousterian

/ (muːˈstɪərɪən) /

noun

a culture characterized by flint flake tools and associated with Neanderthal man, found throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, dating from before 70 000–32 000 bc

adjective

of or relating to this culture

Word Origin for Mousterian

C20: from French Moustérien from archaeological finds of the same period in the cave of Le Moustier, Dordogne, France

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 Mousterian

Mousterian

[ mōō-stîr′ē-ən ]

Relating to a Middle Paleolithic tool culture that succeeded the Acheulian, ending around 35,000 years ago and traditionally associated with Neanderthals. While Mousterian tools show improvements in stone-flaking techniques over Acheulian tools, they remain largely unchanged over long periods of time and show little of the rapid innovation and specialization that characterize tool cultures of the Upper Paleolithic associated with modern humans.