Meaning
The prehistoric period intermediate between the earliest period (‘Paleo-Indian’, ‘Paleo-American’, ‘American‐paleolithic’, etc.) of human presence in the Western Hemisphere, and the most recent prehistoric period (‘Woodland’, etc.).
Etymology
Origin: Ancient Greek
From archaism (“ancient or obsolete phrase or expression”) or from French archaïque, ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀρχαϊκός (arkhaïkós, “old-fashioned”), from ἀρχαῖος (arkhaîos, “from the beginning, antiquated, ancient, old”), from ἀρχή (arkhḗ, “beginning, origin”), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to be first”), from ἄρχω (árkhō, “to begin”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ergʰ- (“to begin, rule, command”).
Synonyms & Antonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 13 recorded puzzles:
- 2026-03-13IARCHOT
- 2026-02-23HACGIPR
- 2025-07-06IARHCMT
- 2025-04-05HAODCIR
- 2024-11-02CAGHIPR
- 2024-10-22AUCTRIH
- 2024-07-29CAGHINR
- 2024-07-20HACIORT
- 2024-02-10IARHCLV
- 2023-11-20ACGHIPR
- 2023-08-24RATMIHC
- 2023-05-20HUATRCI
+1 earlier appearances in the archive.