clovis point: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 (Specialized Vocabulary)Academic, Technical, Historical.
Quick answer
What does “clovis point” mean?
A distinctive, fluted stone projectile point associated with the early Paleo-Indian Clovis culture in North America, dating from approximately 13,000 years ago.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A distinctive, fluted stone projectile point associated with the early Paleo-Indian Clovis culture in North America, dating from approximately 13,000 years ago.
In archaeology and anthropology, the term often refers not just to the artifact itself but to the specific early human culture that produced it, representing a technological marker for the first widely recognized human inhabitants of the Americas.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical difference. The artifact type is named after the town of Clovis, New Mexico, USA.
Connotations
Identical in both dialects within academic contexts.
Frequency
Used with identical frequency in archaeological literature in both the UK and US, though the physical artifacts are found almost exclusively in the Americas.
Grammar
How to Use “clovis point” in a Sentence
[The archaeologist] excavated [a Clovis point] from [the layer].[The discovery] of [a Clovis point] suggests [early human presence].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “clovis point” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The Clovis-point technology spread rapidly across the continent.
- This is a classic Clovis-point design.
American English
- The Clovis-point tradition represents a major technological advance.
- They analyzed the Clovis-point morphology.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Central term in North American archaeology and studies of human migration.
Everyday
Rare, except in museums or documentaries.
Technical
Precise descriptor for a lithic typology with specific attributes (fluting, lanceolate shape).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “clovis point”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “clovis point”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “clovis point”
- Misspelling as 'Clovus point' or 'Cloviss point'.
- Using lowercase ('clovis point').
- Confusing it with later point styles like Folsom.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is named after the town of Clovis, New Mexico, where the first examples of this type were found in association with extinct megafauna in the 1930s.
They are generally dated to between 13,000 and 12,700 years before present, marking the earliest widespread and well-defined archaeological culture in the Americas.
No, they predate the bow and arrow in the Americas. They were almost certainly used as spear points, likely mounted on darts thrown with an atlatl (spear-thrower).
While similar technologies exist elsewhere, the classic Clovis point is a uniquely North American phenomenon, with some related types found in Central and parts of South America.
A distinctive, fluted stone projectile point associated with the early Paleo-Indian Clovis culture in North America, dating from approximately 13,000 years ago.
Clovis point is usually academic, technical, historical. in register.
Clovis point: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkləʊ.vɪs ˌpɔɪnt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkloʊ.vɪs ˌpɔɪnt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a CLOVER (sounds like 'Clovis') with a sharp POINT, used by the very first people in America.
Conceptual Metaphor
A CLIOVIS POINT IS A TECHNOLOGICAL SIGNATURE (it uniquely identifies a specific culture and time).
Practice
Quiz
What is the defining characteristic of a Clovis point?