prehistory

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌpriːˈhɪstəri/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(prē his′tə rē, -his′trē)

Inflections of 'prehistory' (n): npl: prehistories

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
pre•his•to•ry  (prē his′tə rē, -his′trē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ries. 
  1. Archaeologyhuman history in the period before recorded events, known mainly through archaeological discoveries, study, research, etc.; history of prehistoric humans.
  2. a history of the events or incidents leading to a crisis, situation, or the like.
  • pre- + history 1870–75
pre•his•to•ri•an  (prē′hi stôr′ē ən, -stōr′-),USA pronunciation n. 
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
prehistory / priːˈhɪstərɪ/ ( -ries)
  1. the prehistoric period
  2. the study of this period, relying entirely on archaeological evidence
prehistorian / ˌpriːhɪˈstɔːrɪən/
'prehistory' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
archaeology - protohistory

Forum discussions with the word(s) "prehistory" in the title:


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