sapiens
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of sapiens
Borrowed into English from New Latin around 1935–40
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.
In recent decades, many biologists and anthropologists have come to view Homo sapiens as what’s called a “cooperative breeder.”
From Slate • May 10, 2026
Scientists broadly agree that Homo sapiens originated in Africa.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
The study, published in Nature in 2023, compared genetic material from present day African populations with fossil evidence from early Homo sapiens populations.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
That work found that ancient southern Africans carried genetic variation outside the range seen in living people and identified Homo sapiens specific variants that may shed light on adaptation and evolution within Africa.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
Chivalry and justice became a child’s illusions, if the stock on which he had tried to graft them was to be the Thrasher, was to be Homo ferox instead of Homo sapiens.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
