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hominid

or hom·o·nid

[ hom-uh-nid ]
/ ˈhɒm ə nɪd /
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noun Anthropology, Zoology.
any member of the family Hominidae, consisting of all modern and extinct humans and great apes (including gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans), and all their immediate ancestors.See also hominin.

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Origin of hominid

1885–90; <New Latin Hominidae, equivalent to Latin homin- (stem of homō ) “human being, man” (see Homo) + -idae

historical usage of hominid

See hominin.

Words nearby hominid

homily, homing, homing device, homing guidance, homing pigeon, hominid, hominids, hominin, hominine, hominization, hominoid
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to hominid

animal, mortal, personal, anthropoid, biped, humanoid, individual, hominoid, anthropological, anthropomorphic, anthropomorphous, bipedal, creatural, ethnologic, ethological, hominine, civilized, fallible, fleshly, forgivable

How to use hominid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hominid

hominid
/ (ˈhɒmɪnɪd) /
noun
any primate of the family Hominidae, which includes modern man (Homo sapiens) and the extinct precursors of man
adjective
of, relating to, or belonging to the Hominidae

Word Origin for hominid

C19: via New Latin from Latin homo man + -id ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hominid

hominid
[ hŏm′ə-nĭd ]
Any of various primates of the family Hominidae, whose only living members are modern humans. Hominids are characterized by an upright gait, increased brain size and intelligence compared with other primates, a flattened face, and reduction in the size of the teeth and jaw. Besides the modern species Homo sapiens, hominids also include extinct species of Homo (such as H. erectus) and the extinct genus Australopithecus. In some classifications, the family Hominidae also includes the anthropoid apes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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