Etymology A Z – Neanderthal

The long and winding ways of words.

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The th in "-thal" is actually historically correct. In the 19th century, when those bones have been found, the German word "Tal" (valley) was officially spelt with a th, hence "Thal". The German spelling changed in the early 20th century, and so did the German word Neandertaler, while the official name, homo neanderthalensis, kept the original spelling, as did the English noun.