australopithecine
|aus-tra-lo-pi-the-cine|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːstrəˌlɑːpəˈθiːn/
🇬🇧
/ˌɒstrəˌlɒpɪˈθiːn/
southern ape — early human ancestor
Etymology
'australopithecine' originates from the scientific formation based on the genus name 'Australopithecus', itself built from Latin 'australis' meaning 'southern' and Greek 'pithekos' meaning 'ape', with the English suffix '-ine' meaning 'relating to'.
'Australopithecus' was coined in the early 20th century for a genus of fossil hominins (notably described by R. Dart for 'Australopithecus africanus'), and the adjective/noun 'australopithecine' developed from that genus name to denote members or things relating to that group.
Initially the formation referred specifically to the genus 'Australopithecus' and things directly relating to it; over time 'australopithecine' has been used more broadly to describe members of that genus and closely related early hominins.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a member of the extinct genus Australopithecus (or closely related early hominins); early 'southern apes' that are ancestral or closely related to modern humans, known from African fossil records roughly 4–2 million years ago.
Australopithecines show a mixture of bipedal adaptations and traits for climbing trees.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/22 07:12