adj ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective

1. 1
   Before the voyages of Christopher Columbus of the 1490s which introduced greatly widened contacts between Eurasia and the Americas. historical, not-comparable

   "since pre-Columbian times"

2. 2
   Referring to the cultures of the Americas before the European influence, specifically to the era before the continent was visited by Christopher Columbus. not-comparable

   "pre-Columbian cultures"

Adjective

1. 1
   of or relating to or originating in the Americas before the arrival of Columbus wordnet

Antonyms

All antonyms

post-Columbianpostcolumbian

Example

More examples

"Mexico City dates to pre-Columbian times."

Etymology

From pre- + Columbian.

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