Australopithecus afarensis

[aw-strey-loh-pith-i-kuhs uh-fah-ren-sis, -puh-thee-kuhs, aw-struh-loh-]

noun

1. an extinct species of early hominin whose fossil remains were discovered in Ethiopia and have been dated at about 2.8–4 million years of age.

2. a fossil belonging to this species.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Australopithecus afarensis¹

First recorded in 1975–80; from New Latin; Australopithecus ( def. ) + afarēnsis, after the Afar region of Ethiopia, where Lucy was found. See -ensis