Oreopithecus

[ awr-ee-oh-pith-i-kuhs, -puh-thee-kuhs, ohr- ]

noun

1. the genus of an extinct hominoid found in the Miocene coal deposits of Italy, the last known European ape, living 7–9 million years ago and possessing physical and dietary similarities to early hominins, but not classified with them.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Oreopithecus¹

First recorded in 1875–80; from New Latin: literally “mountain ape”; from Greek ore-, oreo-, (stems of óros ) “hill, mountain” + Greek píthēkos “ape”