˜yÐÄvlog

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View synonyms for

preliterate

[ pree-lit-er-it ]

adjective

Anthropology.
  1. lacking a written language; nonliterate:

    a preliterate culture.

  2. occurring before the development or use of writing.


preliterate

/ priËˈlɪtÉ™rɪt; priËˈlɪtÉ™rÉ™sɪ /

adjective

  1. relating to a society that has not developed a written language
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • preliteracy, noun
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of preliterate1

First recorded in 1920–25; pre- + literate
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Myths themselves commonly embody the religious beliefs of ancient or preliterate peoples, but Philip Ball suggests that we are still generating them.

From

It is difficult to prove that preliterate people were motivated by faith rather than economic necessity.

From

In the meantime, however, cultural anthropologists and human rights organisations abhor the inevitable implication that preliterate people live in chronic violence.

From

One reason I learned to read was so that I could understand “hard books†like “Little Women,†which was read aloud to me as a preliterate child.

From

How can we ever hope to wrest the answers to those questions from Africa’s preliterate past, lacking the written evidence that teaches us about the spread of the Roman Empire?

From

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