pre-Columbian
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of pre-Columbian
First recorded in 1885–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A case in point is the Inca Road, arguably the greatest infrastructure accomplishment of pre-Columbian times.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
Ancient Aztec communities from the pre-Columbian period of Mesoamerica had a rich mythological codex that was also part of their ritual and sacrificial ceremonies.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
Beginning in the 1500s, he said, “Spanish missionaries became deeply familiar with pre-Columbian traditions in an effort to combat them and convert local populations,” and practices such as amate production were discouraged or even banned.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2024
International companies hungry for carbon offsets have paid big money for biochar made using pre-Columbian Amazonian production techniques.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2024
“That is a pre-Columbian burial figure. It was made in Mexico about two thousand years ago.”
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
