Ardipithecus

[ ahr-di-pith-i-kuhs, ‐pi-thee-kuhs ]

/ ˌɑr dɪˈpɪθ ɪ kəs, ‐pɪˈθi kəs /

noun

a genus of extinct hominine of the late Miocene and early Pliocene epochs, known from remains found in northeastern Ethiopia in the 1990s: its two named species are A. ramidus and A. kadabba.

Origin of Ardipithecus

First recorded in 1990–95; from New Latin, from Afar ard, ardi “earth” (from Arabic ʔarḍ) + Latin pithēcus “ape” (from Greek píthēkos)