neolithic

Definitions

neo (neos = new) + lith (lithos = stone) + -ic = 'of the New Stone Age,' when humans polished their stone tools and began farming — contrasted with the older Paleolithic (palaios = old). Because the Stone Age feels impossibly distant, the word also became an insult: call anything neolithic and you mean it is hopelessly outdated.

Why It Means This

Notice the irony: neo- means 'new,' yet today the word is most often used to mean 'primitive.' That happened because the Stone Age, though it was a leap forward at the time, now stands for the deep past. So a 'neolithic' laptop or workflow isn't new at all — it's a sarcastic way of saying it belongs in the Stone Age.

Common Collocations

• 1.Neolithic period新石器时代
• 2.Neolithic age新石器时期
• 3.Neolithic tools新石器工具
• 4.Neolithic settlement新石器时代聚落
• 5.Neolithic revolution新石器革命

Example Sentences

• 1.

  Neolithic farmers were among the first humans to settle in one place year-round.

• 2.

  Archaeologists found polished axes dating back to the Neolithic period.

• 3.

  Our payroll system is so neolithic that we still process everything by hand.

Easily Confused

Neolithic vs Paleolithic — both are Stone Age, but neo- (new) is the later age of polished tools and farming, while paleo- (old, from palaios) is the earlier age of chipped tools and hunter-gatherers. Memory hook: paleo = old/primitive (think of the "paleo diet"), neo = the newer, settled-down stage.