pithecanthrope

[pith-i-kan-throhp, pith-i-kuhn-throhp]

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter),  a member of the former genus Pithecanthropus, now assigned to the proposed species Homo erectus.

Other Word Forms

• pithecanthropic adjective
• pithecanthropine adjective
• pithecanthropid noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pithecanthrope¹

First recorded in 1875–80; short for Pithecanthropus

Example Sentences

You could with equal justice say that you are not a Pole, but an orang-outang or a pithecanthrope with Polish culture?

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The first navigating pithecanthrope built nearly as well with his log and bush.

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