Pithecanthropus
[ pith-i-kan-thruh-puhs, -kuhn-throh-puhs ]
/ ˌpɪθ ɪˈkæn θrə pəs, -kənˈθroʊ pəs /
noun
a former genus of extinct hominins whose members have now been assigned to the proposed species Homo erectus.
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Origin of Pithecanthropus
First recorded in 1870–75; from New Latin: literally “ape-man”; from Greek píthēk(os) “ape” + Greek ánthrōpos “human being”
Words nearby Pithecanthropus
pit grave, pith, pithead, pithecanthrope, pithecanthropoid, Pithecanthropus, pithecoid, pith helmet, Pithom, pithos, pith ray
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for Pithecanthropus
British Dictionary definitions for Pithecanthropus
pithecanthropus
/ (ˌpɪθɪkænˈθrəʊpəs, -ˈkænθrə-) /
noun plural -pi (-ˌpaɪ)
any primitive apelike man of the former genus Pithecanthropus, now included in the genus HomoSee Java man, Peking man
Derived forms of pithecanthropus
pithecanthropine or pithecanthropoid, adjectiveWord Origin for pithecanthropus
C19: New Latin, from Greek pithēkos ape + anthrōpos man
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Scientific definitions for Pithecanthropus
pithecanthropus
[ pĭth′ĭ-kăn′thrə-pəs, -kăn-thrō′pəs ]
An extinct hominid postulated from bones found in Java in 1891 and originally designated Pithecanthropus erectus because it was thought to represent a species evolutionarily between apes and humans. Pithecanthropus is now classified as Homo erectus. Also called Java man See more at Homo erectus.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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