Homo sapiens

American  

[hoh-moh sey-pee-uhnz] / ˈhoʊ moʊ ˈseɪ pi ənz /

noun

1. the species of bipedal primates to which modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens ) belong, characterized by a large brain, a nearly vertical forehead, a skeletal build lighter and teeth smaller than earlier humans, and dependence upon language and the creation and utilization of complex tools: the species has existed for about 200,000 years.

2. humankind.

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Homo sapiens British  

/ ˈsæpɪˌɛnz /

noun

1. the specific name of modern man; the only extant species of the genus Homo. This species also includes extinct types of primitive man such as Cro-Magnon man See also man

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Homo sapiens Scientific  

/ sā′pē-ənz /

1. The modern species of humans. Archaic forms of Homo sapiens probably evolved around 300,000 years ago or earlier in Africa, and anatomically modern fossils are known from about 100,000 years ago. All humans now living belong to the subspecies Homo sapiens sapiens. The closest living relative of Homo sapiens is the chimpanzee.

2. See more at archaic Homo sapiens Cro-Magnon Neanderthal

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Homo sapiens Cultural  

1. The biological classification of modern humans. Homo sapiens is Latin for “the wise human” or “the clever human.” The earliest Homo sapiens was Neanderthal, who developed about 150,000 years ago. Sometimes modern humans are further classified into the subspecies of Homo sapiens neanderthalis (Neanderthals) and Homo sapiens sapiens (Cro-Magnons and present-day humans). (See Linnean classification.)

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Etymology

Origin of Homo sapiens

First recorded in 1770–75; from New Latin: literally, “rational man”; Homo ( def. ), sapient ( def. )

Compare meaning

How does homo-sapiens compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Homo sapiens vs. Homo sapiens sapiens

Example Sentences

That view shifted when researchers analysed 51 fossil teeth from a range of hominids and great apes, including Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus robustus, early Homo, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens.

From Science Daily

For decades, experts believed that Homo sapiens reached Europe mainly by traveling through the Balkans and the Levant, moving from Africa into the Middle East.

From Science Daily

A million-year-old human skull found in China suggests that our species, Homo sapiens, began to emerge at least half a million years earlier than we thought, researchers are claiming in a new study.

From BBC

The research for the first time pinpoints a short period 48,000 years ago when Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals after leaving Africa, after which they went on to expand into the wider world.

From BBC

“Homo sapiens is a unique species in that our vastly superior intelligence does not seem, in the majority of individuals at least, to inhibit irrational destruction of its own species,” dos Santos told Salon.

From Salon