precolonial

adjective

pre·​co·​lo·​nial ˌprē-kə-ˈlō-nē-əl How to pronounce precolonial (audio)
-nyəl
variants or pre-colonial
: existing or occurring before an area undergoes colonization
precolonial America
precolonial cultures

Examples of precolonial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
More research is needed, but even though some hunting pressure is evident, the general picture from the precolonial era is that deer seem to have been doing just fine for thousands of years. Elic Weitzel, The Conversation, 29 May 2025 Worryingly, Rwandan President Paul Kagame claimed in a 2023 speech that the precolonial borders of the Kingdom of Rwanda extended much farther than the country’s current frontiers, spilling over into modern-day Uganda to the north, Burundi to the south, and Congo to the west. Michela Wrong, Foreign Affairs, 3 Mar. 2025 In the precolonial Igbo states of West Africa, power was often wielded by male chiefs or elders, but women had their own forms of authority as well. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025 Inspired by the prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina, the system was originally designed as a means of broadening Islamic education in precolonial Nigeria. Ogar Monday, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for precolonial

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of precolonial was in 1859

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Cite this Entry

“Precolonial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precolonial. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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