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.
The objects are from just before Homo sapiens moved to Europe from Africa where they interacted with Neanderthals.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
For years, the mainstream view – based largely on DNA studies and most archaeological sites – was that Homo sapiens first reached the ancient Australia–New Guinea landmass, Sahul, about 50,000 years ago.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
But their construction, and ingenuity, has one wondering about the intelligence and fortitude of these homo sapiens who lived as many as 9,000 years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
For decades, experts believed that Homo sapiens reached Europe mainly by traveling through the Balkans and the Levant, moving from Africa into the Middle East.
From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2025
When Homo sapiens landed in Arabia, most of Eurasia was already settled by other humans.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
