neanderthal

Wikipedia

English

Etymology

From the name of the German valley where Neanderthal 1 was discovered in 1856. The Düsseltal (from German Düssel, a small tributary of the River Rhine + tal (“valley”)) itself was renamed (from Das Gesteins (“The Rockiness”) and/or Das Hundsklipp (“The Cliff of Dogs”)) in the early 19^th century to Neandershöhle (“Neander’s Hollow”), and again in 1850 to Neanderthal (“Neander Valley”); both names were in honour of the German Calvinist theologian and hymn writer Joachim Neander (1650–1680). The surname Neander is a Romanisation of the Greek translation of the original German surname Neumann (“New man”), for which reason Homo neanderthalensis is sometimes called New man in English.

Pronunciation

• (German) enPR: (approximately): né.ănʹdə(r)täl', IPA: /neˈan.dɐˌtaːl/, SAMPA: /ne"an.d6%ta:l/
• (UK) enPR: nē.ănʹdə.täl', IPA: /niːˈæn.dəˌtɑːl/,, IPA: /niːˈæn.dəˌθɑːl/, SAMPA: /ni:"{n.d@%tA:l/
• (US) enPR: nē.ănʹdər.thäl', IPA: /niːˈæn.dɚˌθɑːl/; enPR: nē.ănʹdər.täl', IPA: /niːˈæn.dɚˌtɑːl/, SAMPA: /ni:"{n.d@`%tA:l/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

neanderthal (not comparable)

1. Primitive, old-fashioned, opposed to change (in allusion to the now extinct species Homo neanderthalensis).

Alternative forms

• Neanderthal
• Neandertal

Noun

neanderthal (plural neanderthals)

1. (pejorative) A primitive person or a person with old-fashioned ideas or who opposes change.
2. (usually Neanderthal) A specimen of the now extinct species Homo neanderthalensis.

Alternative forms

• Neanderthal
• Neandertal

Translations

A primitive person

Czech: neandrtálec (cs) m. German: Neandertaler (de) m.

Swedish: neandertalare (sv) c.

A Homo neanderthalensis specimen

Czech: neandrtálec (cs) m. French: homme de Néandertal (fr) German: Neandertaler (de) m. Japanese: ネアンデルタール人 (ja) (neanderutārujin)

Korean: 네안데르탈인 (ko) (neandereutar-in) Mandarin: 尼安德特人 (cmn) (níāndétèrén); 尼安德塔人 (cmn) (níāndétǎrén) Spanish: neandertal (es) m. Swedish: neandertalare (sv) c.