prehuman

[pree-hyoo-muh n or, often, -yoo-]

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.

Origin of prehuman

First recorded in 1835–45; pre- + human

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for prehuman

omission, prehuman, protohuman

Examples from the Web for prehuman

Historical Examples of 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