missing link

American  

[mis-ing lingk] / ˈmɪs ɪŋ ˈlɪŋk /

noun

1. a hypothetical form of animal assumed to have constituted a connecting link between the anthropoid apes and humans, identified by some authorities as constituting the genus Australopithecus.

2. something lacking for the completion of a series or sequence.

   It’s tricky to find the missing link between children’s books and adult fiction.

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missing link British  

noun

1. (sometimes capitals) a hypothetical extinct animal or animal group, formerly thought to be intermediate between the anthropoid apes and man

2. any missing section or part in an otherwise complete series

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missing link Cultural  

1. A supposed animal midway in evolution between apes and humans. The term is based on a misunderstanding about the theory of evolution, which does not state that humans are descended from apes, but rather maintains that both humans and apes descended from a common ancestor. Modern evolutionary scientists do not search for a “missing link.”

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Etymology

Origin of missing link

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Three friends have finished the missing link in a 17,000-mile mountain bike challenge they did in the 1980s.

From BBC

"This is similar to finding the missing links in an assembly line," says Dr. Dang, UBC Okanagan Principal's Research Chair in Natural Products Biotechnology.

From Science Daily

Lanne’s skull was sought to prove since-discredited theories about Tasmanian Aboriginal people - that they were the missing link between humans and Neanderthals, a distinct race so primitive they didn’t even know how to make fire.

From BBC

"During periods of rapid growth, such as those associated with spring algae blooms, nearly 20% of the cells were infected, which explains the low cell numbers. So, phages are the missing link explaining this mystery."

From Science Daily

Upcoming research projects in Hetzer's lab are set on finding these missing links and understanding the biological characteristics of these long-lived RNAs.

From Science Daily