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

/ priːˈlɪtərɪt; priːˈlɪtərəsɪ /

adjective

1. relating to a society that has not developed a written language

Derived Forms

• preliteracy, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of preliterate¹

First recorded in 1920–25; pre- + literate

Example Sentences

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

From Washington Post

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

From Literature

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

From The Guardian

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 New York Times

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 Literature

Related Words

• crude
• rough
• rudimentary
• simple
• uncivilized