hominin

[hom-uh-nin]

noun

Anthropology, Zoology.

1. any member of the group consisting of all modern and extinct humans and their immediate ancestors, specifically members of the tribe Hominini.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hominin¹

First recorded in 1985–90; from New Latin Hominīnī, equivalent to Latin homin- (stem of homō ) “human being, man” + -īnī (plural of the adjective suffix -īnus indicating origin or affiliation); Homo ( def. ), -ine ¹ ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

These days, the potential threats behind the uncertainty we live with are a little different in nature than those faced by our hominin ancestors.

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"Hominin" is a newer term that describes a subdivision of the larger category known as hominids.

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The discovery, published today in Science offers hard proof that different hominin species lived contemporaneously in time and space, overlapping as they evaded predators and weathered the challenges of safely securing food in the ancient African landscape.

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"Fossil footprints are exciting because they provide vivid snapshots that bring our fossil relatives to life," said Hatala, who has been investigating hominin footprints since 2012.

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Scientists know this because they have examined 1.5-million-year-old fossils they unearthed and have concluded they represent the first example of two sets of hominin footprints made about the same time on an ancient lake shore.

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