protohuman

American  

[proh-toh-hyoo-muhn, -yoo-] / ˌproʊ toʊˈhyu mən, -ˈyu- /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling extinct hominin populations that had some but not all the features of modern Homo sapiens.

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noun

1. a protohuman animal.

protohuman British  

/ ˌprəʊtəʊˈhjuːmən /

noun

1. any of various prehistoric primates that resembled modern man

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adjective

1. of or relating to any of these primates

protohuman Scientific  

/ prō′tō-hyo̅o̅′mən /

1. Any of various extinct hominids or other extinct primates that were primitive predecessors or ancestors of humans.

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Etymology

Origin of protohuman

First recorded in 1905–10; proto- + human

Example Sentences

They agree, however, that explanation is needed of how a weak, vulnerable and not-very-successful protohuman later came to dominate the whole world, and reach outward into the universe.

From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2022

“In several years it’ll just be a useless appendage, like the last protohuman with a tail,” Engadget wrote in its review of the most recent MacBook Pro.

From The Verge • Jul. 15, 2022

Carcinogens abounded 1.7 million years ago in Early Pleistocene times when a nameless protohuman wandered the South African countryside in what came to be known as the Cradle of Humankind.

From New York Times • Aug. 22, 2016

“I think of Bigfoot as a sort of protohuman, a relative stuck in a primordial state,” says Jim Clauss, a professor of classics at the University of Washington, who knows his mythology.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2014

If that counted for anything, then Africa enjoyed an enormous advantage: at least 5 million more years of separate protohuman existence than on any other continent.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond