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Solutrean

or So·lu·tri·an

[suh-loo-tree-uh n]
adjective
  1. Archaeology. of or designating an Upper Paleolithic European culture c18,000–16,000 b.c., characterized by the making of stone projectile points and low-relief stone sculptures.
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Origin of Solutrean

1885–90; < French solutréen, after Solutré the type-site, near a village of the same name in France (Saône-et-Loire); see -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for solutrean

Historical Examples

  • The artistic work of Solutrean times is not so rich as that of the Aurignacian.

    Men of the Old Stone Age

    Henry Fairfield Osborn

  • This type of flint is constantly found associated with rudely formed prototypes of the Solutrean laurel-leaf point.

    Men of the Old Stone Age

    Henry Fairfield Osborn

  • The highly developed flint industry of the Solutrean types; art development of the Cr-Magnon race partly suspended.

    Men of the Old Stone Age

    Henry Fairfield Osborn

  • From middle Aurignacian on through Solutrean times these denizens of the extreme north disappear from this region of Europe.

    Men of the Old Stone Age

    Henry Fairfield Osborn

  • The human sculptures are determined to be of late Aurignacian age, because they are buried in an early Solutrean talus.

    Men of the Old Stone Age

    Henry Fairfield Osborn

British Dictionary definitions for solutrean

Solutrean

adjective
  1. of or relating to an Upper Palaeolithic culture of Europe that was characterized by leaf-shaped flint blades
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Word Origin

C19: named after Solutré, village in central France where traces of this culture were originally found
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
solutrean in Science

Solutrean

  1. Relating to an Upper Paleolithic culture in southwestern Europe between the Aurignacian and Magdalenian cultures, dating from around 21,000 to 17,000 years ago. The short-lived Solutrean culture was characterized by finely crafted tools, such as slender, leaf-shaped blades and shouldered points, as well as ornaments, carvings, and cave paintings.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.