troglodyte

[trog-luh-dahyt] /ˈtrɒg ləˌdaɪt/
noun
1.
a prehistoric cave dweller.
2.
a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.
3.
a person living in seclusion.
4.
a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.
5.
an animal living underground.
Origin
1545-55; < Latin trōglodyta < Greek trōglodýtēs one who creeps into holes, cave dweller, equivalent to trōglo- (combining form of trṓglē a gnawed hole; cf. trogon) + dý(ein) to creep into + -tēs agent suffix
Related forms
troglodytic
[trog-luh-dit-ik] /ˌtrɒg ləˈdɪt ɪk/ (Show IPA), troglodytical, adjective
troglodytism
[trog-luh-dahy-tiz-uh m] /ˈtrɒg lə daɪˌtɪz əm/ (Show IPA), noun
Examples from the web for troglodyte
  • It's endemic, fallaciously, of a troglodyte to believe such things.
  • troglodyte, moron or other epithet you care to hurl.
  • Told he's a troglodyte, he initially accepts it as a compliment, not knowing what the word means.
British Dictionary definitions for troglodyte

troglodyte

/ˈtrɒɡləˌdaɪt/
noun
1.
a cave dweller, esp one of the prehistoric peoples thought to have lived in caves
2.
(informal) a person who lives alone and appears eccentric
Derived Forms
troglodytic (ˌtrɒɡləˈdɪtɪk), troglodytical, adjective
Word Origin
C16: via Latin from Greek trōglodutēs one who enters caves, from trōglē hole + duein to enter
Word Origin and History for troglodyte
n.

"cave-dweller," 1550s, from Latin troglodytae (plural), from Greek troglodytes "cave-dweller," literally "one who creeps into holes," from trogle "hole" (from trogein "to gnaw;" see trout) + dyein "go in, dive in."

troglodyte in Technology

jargon
(Commodore) 1. A hacker who never leaves his cubicle. The term "Gnoll" (from Dungeons & Dragons) is also reported.
2. A curmudgeon attached to an obsolescent computing environment. The combination "ITS troglodyte" was flung around some during the Usenet and e-mail wringle-wrangle attending the 2.x.x revision of the Jargon File; at least one of the people it was intended to describe adopted it with pride.
[Jargon File]
(1995-01-11)