mesolithic
/ˌmezəˈlɪθɪk/meh-zuh-LIH-thik
/ˌmɛzəˈlɪθɪk/meh-zuh-LIH-thik
Meaningmiddle stone
Common meaning: of the middle Stone Age
- mesomiddleLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 944 · scan
- litha stoneLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 893 · scan
- icadjective ending: relating to
‘middle’ + ‘a stone’ → mesolithic
Journey through time
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- meso — Greek μέσος “middle” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- lith — Greek λίθος “a stone” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek μέσος ‘middle’ + Greek λίθος ‘a stone’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry λίθος, p. 893 · dictionary scan
Roots
Related words
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