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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Homo naledi¹

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