What does "abbevillian" mean?

Of or relating to any of various early Paleolithic sites, particularly in Europe, that are characterized by the presence of bifacial stone axes.

What is a synonym for "abbevillian"?

Common synonyms include: chellean, chellean, chellian, chellian, lower acheulean, lower acheulean.

Pronounced //ˌæb.əˈvɪl.i.ən//.

//ˌæb.əˈvɪl.i.ən// adj, name

adj, name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Adjective

1
Of or relating to any of various early Paleolithic sites, particularly in Europe, that are characterized by the presence of bifacial stone axes. dated, not-comparable

Proper Noun

1
The earliest epoch of the early Paleolithic stage or tradition characterized by the presence of bifacial stone axes, especially in Europe. dated

Name derived from Abbeville, France (location of the archaeological sites).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.