PREHISTORY

Pronunciation (US): (GB):

Meaning:

The time during the development of human culture before the appearance of the written word

Synonyms:

prehistoric culture; prehistory

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("prehistory" is a kind of...):

period; period of time; time period (an amount of time)

Meronyms (parts of "prehistory"):

Bronze Age ((archeology) a period between the Stone and Iron Ages, characterized by the manufacture and use of bronze tools and weapons)

Iron Age ((archeology) the period following the Bronze Age; characterized by rapid spread of iron tools and weapons)

Stone Age ((archeology) the earliest known period of human culture, characterized by the use of stone implements)

glacial epoch; glacial period; ice age (any period of time during which glaciers covered a large part of the earth's surface)

Derivation:

prehistoric (belonging to or existing in times before recorded history)

prehistoric (of or relating to times before written history)