Homo naledi

[ hoh-moh nah-led-ee ]

noun
  1. an extinct species of hominin classified within the genus Homo but on a branch other than that of modern humans: the first fossil specimens, originally assessed at about two million years of age, were discovered northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2013, but a more recent dating of 235,000–335,000 years places them in a time when more modern, larger-brained hominins were already living.

  2. a fossil belonging to this species.

Origin of Homo naledi

1
First recorded in 2010–15; from New Latin; Homo + Sotho naledi “star,” from the name Dinaledi (Chamber), “(chamber) of stars” in the Rising Star cave system where the fossils were found

Words Nearby Homo naledi

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