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protohistory

American  
[proh-toh-his-tuh-ree, -his-tree] / ˌproʊ toʊˈhɪs tə ri, -ˈhɪs tri /

noun

PLURAL

protohistories

  1. a branch of study concerned with the transition period between prehistory and the earliest recorded history.

  2. the period in a culture immediately before its recorded history begins.

protohistory British  
/ ˌprəʊtəʊhɪˈstɒrɪk, -ˈhɪstrɪ, ˌprəʊtəʊˈhɪstərɪ /

noun

  1. the period or stage of human development or of a particular culture immediately prior to the emergence of writing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • protohistorian noun
  • protohistoric adjective
  • protohistorical adjective

Etymology

Origin of protohistory

First recorded in 1915–20; proto- + history

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.

“The Till family is very close to the family of Trayvon Martin. They see Emmett Till as the protohistory of the Black Lives Matter movement.”

From New York Times

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.