Pithecanthropus

American  

[pith-i-kan-thruh-puhs, -kuhn-throh-puhs] / ˌpɪθ ɪˈkæn θrə pəs, -kənˈθroʊ pəs /

noun

1. a former genus of extinct hominins whose members have now been assigned to the proposed species Homo erectus.

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pithecanthropus British  

/ ˌpɪθɪkænˈθrəʊpəs, -ˈkænθrə- /

noun

1. any primitive apelike man of the former genus Pithecanthropus, now included in the genus Homo See Java man Peking man

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pithecanthropus Scientific  

/ pĭth′ĭ-kăn′thrə-pəs,-kăn-thrō′pəs /

1. 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.

2. Also called Java man

3. See more at Homo erectus

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Other Word Forms

• pithecanthropine adjective

Etymology

Origin of Pithecanthropus

First recorded in 1870–75; from New Latin: literally “ape-man”; from Greek píthēk(os) “ape” + Greek ánthrōpos “human being”

Example Sentences

But after further inspection, he changed the name to Pithecanthropus erectus, an upright “ape-man.”

From New York Times

Pithecanthropus raises the vexed question as to whether the erect attitude or brain development came first in the story.

From Project Gutenberg

Prior to that there are some evidences of extinct species, such as Pithecanthropus Erectus, the Grimaldi man, the Heidelberg man, and the Neanderthal.

From Project Gutenberg

As such it was christened Pithecanthropus erectus, the erect ape-man.

From Project Gutenberg

Lastly, Dubois has discovered in Java the cranium of Pithecanthropus erectus which is intermediate between that of the orang-utan and man.

From Project Gutenberg