Ne|an|der|thal

Ne|an|der|thal «nee AN duhr thl, -tahl; German nay AHN duhr tahl», adjective, noun.

–adj.

1. belonging to a group of prehistoric people who lived in caves in Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia in the early Stone Age.

2. like the Neanderthal man.

3. Figurative. Often, neanderthal. reactionary, especially in politics: »

the neanderthal wing of the party. Here was a good example of the type of excess we could expect…especially on the more Neanderthal of the New York newspapers (Atlantic).

–n.

1. a Neanderthal man: »

Neanderthals buried their dead in carefully prepared graves, sometimes with offerings of food (Bert Salwen).

2. Often, neanderthal. a reactionary: »

a political Neanderthal.

╂[< Neanderthal, the Neander Gorge in Germany, where the fossils of Neanderthal man were first found]