definitions

prehuman

[ pree-hyoo-muh n or, often, -yoo- ]
/ priˈhyu mən or, often, -ˈyu- /
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SEE MORE 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.

RELATED WORDS

omission, protohuman

Nearby words

prehistoric, prehistory, prehnite, prehominid, prehormone, prehuman, preictal, preignition, preincarnation, preincline, preindicate

Origin of prehuman

First recorded in 1835–45; pre- + human
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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