dryopithecine

[ drahy-oh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn ]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) an extinct ape of the genus Dryopithecus, known from Old World Miocene fossils.

adjective

1. of or relating to this ape.

dryopithecine

/ ˌdraɪəʊˈpɪθəˌsiːn /

noun

1. any extinct Old World ape of the genus Dryopithecus, common in Miocene and Pliocene times: thought to be the ancestors of modern apes

dryopithecine

/ drī′ō-pĭth′ĭ-sēn′ /

1. An extinct ape of the genus Dryopithecus, known from fossil remains of the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is believed to be an ancestor of the anthropoid apes and humans.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dryopithecine¹

First recorded in 1945–50; Dryopithec(us) + -ine ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dryopithecine¹

C20: from New Latin Dryopithēcus, from Greek drus tree + pithēkos ape