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Dryopithecus

American  
[drahy-oh-pith-i-kuhs, -puh-thee-] / ˌdraɪ oʊˈpɪθ ɪ kəs, -pəˈθi- /

noun

  1. an extinct genus of generalized hominoids that lived in Europe and Africa during the Miocene Epoch and whose members are characterized by small molars and incisors.

  2. one of the four subgenera of this genus, limited to Europe.


Etymology

Origin of Dryopithecus

< New Latin (1856) < Greek drŷ ( s ) tree, oak + -o- -o- + píthēkos monkey

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One molar which he was able to examine closely showed close affinities to Dryopithecus, a well-known genus of extinct apes.

From Time Magazine Archive

The general pattern seemed closely related to the dentition of Dryopithecus, a celebrated extinct ape.

From Time Magazine Archive

Dryopithecus, a big forest ape that lived in the Siwalik hills of India in Miocene times, before the Glacial Age, is the common ancestor of man, the gorilla, the chimpanzee, and other primates.

From Time Magazine Archive

Much later—by 14 million years ago—the Dryopithecus line had split into three branches.

From Time Magazine Archive

Amongst the Old World Monkeys of the Miocene, the two most interesting are the Pliopithecus and Dryopithecus of France.

From The Ancient Life History of the Earth A Comprehensive Outline of the Principles and Leading Facts of Palæontological Science by Nicholson, Henry Alleyne