Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pre-columbian

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English

Syllables: pre--columbian
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Before the voyages of Christopher Columbus of the 1490s which introduced greatly widened contacts between Eurasia and the Americas.

adj

Referring to the cultures of the Americas before the European influence, specifically to the era before the continent was visited by Christopher Columbus.

Example Sentences

"since pre-Columbian times"
"unknown in Europe in pre-Columbian times"
"pre-Columbian cultures"
"pre-Columbian civilizations"
"In fact, the dating of pre-Columbian Andean cultures was largely a matter of guesswork."
"Boys trained to be warriors, but why did pre-Columbian peoples battle one another?"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English Columbian English pre-Columbian From pre- + Columbian.

Inflected Forms

precolumbian (alternative)

Phrases

Columbian Exchange

Frequently Paired Words

Columbian Exchange Columbian precontact precolonial pre-Hispanic pre-European

Antonyms

post-Columbian postcolumbian

Questions

What does pre-columbian mean?: Before the voyages of Christopher Columbus of the 1490s which introduced greatly widened contacts between Eurasia and the Americas.
Where does pre-columbian come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English Columbian English pre-Columbian From pre- + Columbian.

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