Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, relating to, or being a culture not having a written language.
- noun A person belonging to such a culture.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective of a culture that has not yet developed a
written language - adjective of a person who has not yet
learned toread andwrite - noun a member of such a
culture
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective not yet having acquired the ability to read and write
- adjective used of a society that has not developed writing
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Neither 'preliterate' nor 'preliteracy' are registered in the 1942 Chicago Dictionary of American English.
A Silent World Momigliano, Arnaldo 1967
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The 1949 edition of the Funk and Wagnall New Standard Dictionary lists 'preliterate' only.
A Silent World Momigliano, Arnaldo 1967
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In the end I found both 'preliterate' and 'preliteracy' in the 1961 edition of Webster's New International Dictionary.
A Silent World Momigliano, Arnaldo 1967
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She learned the world, she writes, through her senses, through a "preliterate" understanding of the world.
Newsvine - Get Smarter Here Associated Press Writer Cain Burdeau 2008
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She learned the world, she writes, through her senses, through a "preliterate" understanding of the world.
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She learned the world, she writes, through her senses, through a "preliterate" understanding of the world.
Macleans.ca 2008
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In preliterate and in preindustrial urban societies, socially successful individuals commonly had larger than average families.
Who Wants More Kids?, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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New Dan Brown book expected to create rip in space time continuum, reverting human beings to a preliterate culture.
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New Dan Brown book expected to create rip in space time continuum, reverting human beings to a preliterate culture.
A Progressive on the Prairie » Weekend Edition: 8-22 » Print 2009
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In preliterate societies, in the absence of artificial means of fertility regulation, pregnancies are spaced several years apart by unconscious physiological mechanisms based on breastfeeding.
Who Wants More Kids?, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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