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
Words nearby Mousterian
mousseline de soie, mousseline sauce, Moussorgsky, moustache, moustache cup, Mousterian, mousy, MOUT, mouth, mouthbreeder, mouthbrooder
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use Mousterian in a sentence
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
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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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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