Piltdown man

noun

Pilt·​down man ˈpilt-ˌdau̇n- How to pronounce Piltdown man (audio)
: a supposedly very early hominid erroneously reconstructed in the early 1900s from what was later determined to be human skull fragments and an orangutan lower jaw planted by a hoaxer

Word History

Etymology

Piltdown, East Sussex, England

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Piltdown man was in 1913

Dictionary Entries Near Piltdown man

Cite this Entry

“Piltdown man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Piltdown%20man. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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