preverbal
Britishadjective
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being before the development of speech
preverbal infants
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grammar coming before the verb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The preverbal is not just the province of tots but a reservoir of meaning that lies just beneath the surface of our consciousness,” Gabriel says, “if only we stop to listen.”
From New York Times • Oct. 12, 2022
But based on their limited data, they said food aversion in young, preverbal children "should be a trigger to test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection."
From Reuters • Dec. 22, 2021
“Dogs, as researchers now insist, act more like young, preverbal kids than they do wolves.”
From Salon • Sep. 6, 2016
As far as the latter goes, Hoult's shuffling zombie perambulation is particularly good, as is his facial expressiveness in scenes where R is essentially preverbal.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2013
“Because the audience is not all that verbal or even preverbal, it is important to tell the story visually,” he went on.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
