hominid

Or hom·o·nid

[hom-uh-nid]

noun

Anthropology, Zoology.

1. any member of the family Hominidae, consisting of all modern and extinct humans and great apes (including gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans), and all their immediate ancestors.

hominid

/ ˈhɒmɪnɪd /

noun

1. any primate of the family Hominidae, which includes modern man ( Homo sapiens ) and the extinct precursors of man

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Hominidae

hominid

1. Any of various primates of the family Hominidae, whose only living members are modern humans. Hominids are characterized by an upright gait, increased brain size and intelligence compared with other primates, a flattened face, and reduction in the size of the teeth and jaw. Besides the modern species Homo sapiens, hominids also include extinct species of Homo (such as H. erectus) and the extinct genus Australopithecus. In some classifications, the family Hominidae also includes the anthropoid apes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hominid¹

1885–90; < New Latin Hominidae, equivalent to Latin homin- (stem of homō ) “human being, man” ( Homo ) + -idae ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hominid¹

C19: via New Latin from Latin homo man + _-id ²

Example Sentences

Genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses were combined to build a broad understanding of how lead may have influenced the evolution of hominid cognition and social behavior.

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The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports by Nature Publishing Group, describe the earliest evidence of Neanderthal hominids in Portugal.

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These included seven hominid species, or "great apes,"** such as humans, gorillas and chimpanzees, and nine hylobatid species, or "lesser apes,"*** such as gibbons.

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The team examined fossilized teeth from 51 hominids found across Africa, Asia, and Europe.

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Our hominid ancestors were much smaller than we were and were easily preyed upon by big cats and big birds.

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Related Words

• animal 
• mortal 
• personal