Homo habilis

[ hoh-moh hab-uh-lis ]

/ ˈhoʊ moʊ ˈhæb ə lɪs /

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noun

an extinct species of upright East African hominin having some advanced humanlike characteristics, dated as being from about 1.5 million to more than 2 million years old and proposed as an early form of Homo leading to modern humans.

a fossil belonging to this species.

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Origin of Homo habilis

First recorded in 1960–65; from New Latin: literally “skillful man, handy man,” because this species was thought to represent the first maker of stone tools. The oldest stone tools, however, are currently dated slightly older than the oldest evidence of the genus Homo

Words nearby Homo habilis

homogeny, homogonous, homogony, homograft, homograph, Homo habilis, Homo heidelbergensis, homoio-, homoiotherm, homoiothermal, homoiothermic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Homo habilis in a sentence

Understanding odds has never been a strength of Homo sapiens.
A Doctor Explains Why Cruise Ships Should Be Banned|Kent Sepkowitz|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In some very real sense, 21st-century Hollywood has forgotten how to use living, breathing Homo sapiens in action movies.
Game of Thrones’ 'The Watchers on the Wall': The Battle of Castle Black Is One For the Ages|Andrew Romano|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The results are in and Homo habilis, our primate forebear, has won another round.
The Top 10 Diets of 2013 Are All Useless (Except to Book Publishers)|Kent Sepkowitz|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
During Koch's 1977 mayoral primary against Mario, posters of mysterious origin appeared saying, “Vote for Cuomo, Not the Homo”.
Ed Koch Goes Out in Style|Lloyd Grove|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But in terms of beneficial public-health impact, nothing Homo sapiens has invented thus far outpaces the vaccine.
Get Your Damn Flu Shot|Kent Sepkowitz|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He'd reveal definite indications of belonging to Homo Sapiens only when drinking beer and talking about his holes.
The Holes and John Smith|Edward W. Ludwig
But what about the other doctrine, which he declares to be a part of the same programme — Homo Mensura — the Protagorean formula?
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)|George Grote
He at the same time announces that his theory rests upon a principle opposed to the “Homo Mensura” of Protagoras.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)|George Grote
At an early part of the period to which this chapter belongs, the famous volume entitled “Ecce Homo” was published.
Recollections of a Long Life|John Stoughton
His last book, “Ecce Homo,” an autobiography, contains all the premonitory symptoms of the threatening tragedy.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea

British Dictionary definitions for Homo habilis

Homo habilis

/ (ˈhæbɪlɪs) /

noun

an extinct species of primitive man, the first to use stone tools

Word Origin for Homo habilis

New Latin, from Latin homo man + habilis able to handle, skilled

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 Homo habilis

Homo habilis

[ hăb′ə-ləs ]

An extinct species of early humans, known from fossils found in eastern Africa and often considered to be the first member of the genus Homo. It is associated with stone tools of the Oldowan culture. Homo habilis existed between about 2.5 and 1.6 million years ago and overlapped with late australopithecines and other hominids whose relationship to each other and to the later Homo erectus are uncertain.