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paleoanthropology

American  
[pay-lee-oh-an-thruh-pol-uh-jee, pal-ee-] / ˌpeɪ li oʊˌæn θrəˈpɒl ə dʒi, ˌpæl i- /

noun

  1. the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains.


paleoanthropology Scientific  
/ pā′lē-ō-ăn′thrə-pŏl′ə-jē /
  1. The scientific study of extinct members of the genus Homo sapiens by means of their fossil remains.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of paleoanthropology

First recorded in 1915–20; paleo- + anthropology


Vocabulary lists containing paleoanthropology

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Their team tested several competing ideas about human evolution and migration in Africa, drawing from models proposed in paleoanthropology and genetics.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026

Prior to that, she was a paleoanthropology researcher and received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship in 2016 for work focused on hominin bipedalism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

Drawing on research from physiology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, and more, they show that women have always hunted and are better adapted to some endurance tests than men.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 17, 2023

When exactly the breakthrough occurred, however, has been one of the most contested questions in all of paleoanthropology.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 5, 2022

Stay away from paleoanthropology, I was told as a young student smitten with fossils, and study less controversial stuff instead, like dinosaurs.

From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2020

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