Dryopithecus
[drahy-oh-pith-i-kuh s, -puh-thee-]
- 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.
- one of the four subgenera of this genus, limited to Europe.
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Origin of Dryopithecus
< New Latin (1856) < Greek drŷ(s) tree, oak + -o- -o- + píthēkos monkey
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for dryopithecus
Historical Examples
Dryopithecus was smaller than the chimpanzee, but much larger than the gibbon.
The Origin of Man and of his SuperstitionsCarveth Read
Dryopithecus is more Man-like than any other, and seems to have been as large as a Chimpanzee.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., MammaliaFrank Evers Beddard
Palæopithecus, Dryopithecus, Palæosimia, and Sivapithecus are extinct simians.
Man, Past and PresentAgustus Henry Keane