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paleoanthropology

American  
[pey-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-pŏlə-jē /
  1. The scientific study of extinct members of the genus Homo sapiens by means of their fossil remains.


Other Word Forms

  • paleoanthropological adjective
  • paleoanthropologist noun

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.

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

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

From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2022

It was July 24, 1976, the day of one of the most serendipitous discoveries in the history of paleoanthropology.

From Scientific American • Nov. 5, 2022

For him, paleoanthropology and conservation were “deeply entwined,” said Paige Madison, a paleoanthropology historian based in Copenhagen.

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2022