French Conversation · Level 12
90 words
French word
préhistoire
Pronunciation
IPA/pʁeistwaʁ/
Meaning
- feminine nounprehistory
Example
On a trouvé des vestiges de la préhistoire ici.
Remains from prehistory were found here.
More examples
Les cours d'histoire commencent souvent par une introduction à la préhistoire.
History classes often begin with an introduction to prehistory.
Core concept
An ancient human world reconstructed from physical traces left where written testimony is absent.
Common phrases
période de la préhistoire
prehistoric period
sites de la préhistoire
prehistoric sites
Similar words
histoire: All past events involving people and human societies.
époque: A distinct era marked by a defining characteristic or event.
antiquité: The ancient world as recorded in writing, particularly the age of early civilizations.
âge de pierre: The era when stone served as the primary material for tools and weapons.
Definition in French
Période de l'activité humaine antérieure à l'apparition de l'écriture, connue principalement par les vestiges matériels et biologiques.
Word origin
The French word préhistoire is formed from pré- meaning "before" and histoire, whose history goes back through Old French to Latin historia.
Usage tips
- The boundaries of la préhistoire vary by region because writing appears at different times in different societies.
Opposites
- histoirehistorynoun
- époque historiquehistorical periodnoun
Related words
- préhistoriqueprehistoricadjective
- préhistorienprehistoriannoun