Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In ornithology: A genus of wrens, type of the family Troglodytidae, based by Vieillot in 1807 on T. aëdon.
  • noun In the form Troglodites, a Linnean name (1744) of humming-birds, later (1748–66) called Trochilus. Compare similar confusion of trochilus, 1 and .
  • noun In mammalogy, a genus of anthropoid apes, instituted by Isidore Geoffroy St. Hilaire after 1807, containing the chimpanzee, T. niger, and the gorilla, T. gorilla.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) A genus of apes including the chimpanzee.
  • noun (Zoöl.) A genus of singing birds including the common wrens.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Plural form of troglodyte.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun type genus of the Troglodytidae

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Great use of the word troglodytes that’s worth 50p at least!

    Are Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart Having It Off Or What? 2009

  • In the Saumur region of France there are over a thousand miles of underground tunnels and thousands of caves, known as "troglodytes," used as homes, hotels, restaurants, museums, wineries, farms silkworms, mushrooms, snails and even a disco and a zoo.

    Kirsten Dirksen: Cave House in Loire Is Charming Bioclimatic Troglodyte Home (VIDEO) Kirsten Dirksen 2012

  • In the Saumur region of France there are over a thousand miles of underground tunnels and thousands of caves, known as "troglodytes," used as homes, hotels, restaurants, museums, wineries, farms silkworms, mushrooms, snails and even a disco and a zoo.

    Kirsten Dirksen: Cave House in Loire Is Charming Bioclimatic Troglodyte Home (VIDEO) Kirsten Dirksen 2012

  • But I think if enough of these big-name troglodytes step up to declare their opposition to McCain, it could cumulatively have a disspiriting effect on conservative voters.

    Dobson Refuses To Cave For McCain, Endorsing Huckabee Instead 2009

  • Some blamed Communist "troglodytes" focused only on their internal power struggles.

    Playing Chinese Chicken 2008

  • The Republican lobbyist, Abramoff, who liked to call Native Americans "troglodytes" and "morons" as he was ripping them off to help Hot Tub Tom DeLay and George W. Bush illegally maintain their grip on power in Washington, has said he could implicate as many as 60 members of Congress with his plea-arranged testimony.

    01/06/2006 2006

  • The tribes were paying the two Washington operatives -- who in private e-mails referred to the Indians as "troglodytes," "monkeys" and "moronic" -- to defend their casinos.

    October 2004 2004

  • Will you remember Jack Abramoff calling his clients "troglodytes" as he bilked them for millions of dollars?

    Will You Remember? 2006

  • And we haven't even mentioned the "troglodytes" he helped scam.

    Archive 2005-04-01 2005

  • For background, you may recall this Texas Observer piece which printed emails of K street Republicans who casually refer to their Native American clients as "troglodytes," "monkeys," and "stupid mofos".

    Archive 2005-03-01 2005

Comments

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  • (especially in prehistoric times) a person who lived in a cave.

    a hermit.

    a person who is regarded as being deliberately ignorant or old-fashioned.

    June 13, 2014

  • That would be de-light-full!

    June 14, 2014

  • Do they glow in the light?

    June 14, 2014