australopithecine

American  

[aw-strey-loh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn, aw-struh-loh-] / ɔˌstreɪ loʊˈpɪθ əˌsin, -ˌsaɪn, -pəˈθi sɪn, -ˌsaɪn, ˌɔ strə loʊ- /

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a member of the extinct genus Australopithecus.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling the genus Australopithecus or its members.

australopithecine British  

/ ˌɒstrələʊˈpɪθɪˌsiːn /

noun

1. any of various extinct apelike primates of the genus Australopithecus and related genera, remains of which have been discovered in southern and E Africa. Some species are estimated to be over 4.5 million years old See also zinjanthropus

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adjective

1. of or relating to any of these primates

australopithecine Scientific  

/ ô-strā′lō-pĭth′ĭ-sēn′ /

1. Any of several early hominids of the genus Australopithecus of eastern and southern Africa, known from fossils dating from about 4 million to about 1 million years ago. The most complete australopithecine skeleton found so far, named Lucy by its discoverers, is estimated to be just over 3 million years old. While many scientists believe that australopithecines are ancestors of modern humans, not enough fossils have yet been found to establish any direct descent.

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Etymology

Origin of australopithecine

First recorded in 1935–40; Australopithec(us) + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

australopithecine

The mission name “Lucy” is a nod to the 3.2 million-year-old australopithecine skeleton discovered in 1974, which revealed secrets of human evolution.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2021

They may also have served as a crucial food source for our own australopithecine ancestors.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 10, 2018

Berger decided the skeletons were a new species of australopithecine, which he named Australopithecus sediba.

From National Geographic ● Sep. 10, 2015

One of the skulls looks more like it comes from an australopithecine, he says, as do certain features of the femurs.

From Nature ● Sep. 9, 2015

With so few specimens from the transition period, and most of them being scraps, identifying those features that first distinguished from its australopithecine forebears—those traits that made us truly human—has proved challenging.

From Scientific American ● Mar. 20, 2012