prehuman

[ pree-hyoo-muh n or, often, -yoo- ]
/ priˈhyu mən or, often, -ˈyu- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR prehuman ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

preceding the appearance or existence of human beings: the prehuman ages.
of or relating to a human prototype.

noun

a prehuman animal.

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"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of prehuman

First recorded in 1835–45; pre- + human

Words nearby prehuman

prehistoric, prehistory, prehnite, prehominid, prehormone, prehuman, preictal, preignition, preincarnation, preincline, preindicate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to prehuman

omission, protohuman

Example sentences from the Web for prehuman

  • This prehuman stage has, none the less, a very great significance in the developmental history of man.

    Men of the Old Stone Age|Henry Fairfield Osborn

  • Some regarded the skull as that of a giant gibbon, others as prehuman, and still others as a transition form.

    Men of the Old Stone Age|Henry Fairfield Osborn

  • So long as the organic hosts were in the prehuman stage the maintenance of the accord was easily and naturally attained.

    Domesticated Animals|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler