Oldowan

O1L1D2O1W4A1N1

adjective

Belonging to the earliest widespread stone-tool archaeological industry in prehistory.

OriginMaasai Olduvai →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

adjectiveOldowan (not comparable)
  1. not comparablearchaeologyBelonging to the earliest widespread stone-tool archaeological industry in prehistory.
nounOldowan (plural Oldowans)

plural Oldowans

  1. A member of the prehistoric culture that made these stone tools.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
abbevillian

Origin

  1. MaasaiOlduvai
  2. EnglishOldowan

From Maasai Olduvai, from the site of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, where the first Oldowan lithics were discovered in the 1930s.

More words from Maasai

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Italian olduvaiano
  • olduvaianoTranslations
Russian олдува́йский
  • олдува́йский (olduvájskij)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

Oldowan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oldowan

MLA

“Oldowan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oldowan. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Oldowan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Oldowan.

Source: Oldowan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.