prehistory
noun
pre·his·to·ry
ˌprē-ˈhi-st(ə-)rē 
1
: the study of prehistoric humankind
2
: a history of the antecedents of an event, situation, or thing
3
: the prehistoric period of human evolution
Examples of prehistory in a Sentence
We are learning about the prehistory of North America.
Recent Examples on the Web
And now, a local high school has gotten a powerful reminder of that fact: Construction work at the San Pedro High School on the Palos Verdes Peninsula revealed millions of marine fossils beneath its campus that testify to the region’s aquatic prehistory.
—
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2024
The explorer built the balsa wood raft to show that people could have made the trip in prehistory.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 7 Aug. 2024
Vernacular design, modern technology Building with earth dates back to prehistory and has taken many forms, including mudbricks, adobe and rammed earth.
—Tom Page, CNN, 1 Aug. 2024
Explore a bit of the region's prehistory at the Grotte du Lazaret (free entry), a cave and now-museum where visitors can view animal bones and worn tools, as well as fragments of human bones from when the shelter was inhabited between 190,000 and 120,000 years ago.
—Chloé Braithwaite, New York Times, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for prehistory 
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2024
The explorer built the balsa wood raft to show that people could have made the trip in prehistory.
—Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 7 Aug. 2024
Vernacular design, modern technology Building with earth dates back to prehistory and has taken many forms, including mudbricks, adobe and rammed earth.
—Tom Page, CNN, 1 Aug. 2024
Explore a bit of the region's prehistory at the Grotte du Lazaret (free entry), a cave and now-museum where visitors can view animal bones and worn tools, as well as fragments of human bones from when the shelter was inhabited between 190,000 and 120,000 years ago.
—Chloé Braithwaite, New York Times, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for prehistory
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prehistory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near prehistory
Cite this Entry
“Prehistory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prehistory. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prehistory
noun
pre·his·to·ry
(ˈ)prē-ˈhis-t(ə-)rē
: the study of prehistoric man
prehistorian
noun
ˌprē-(h)is-ˈtōr-ē-ən
-ˈtȯr-
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