australopithecine
/ˌɒstɹələ(ʊ)ˈpɪθɪsiːn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 1.40 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
6
Syllables
13
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Alternative letter-case form of australopithecine.
adj
Alternative letter-case form of australopithecine.
noun
Any of several extinct hominids, belonging to the genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus in the subtribe Australopithecina when seen as distinct, and sometimes other closely related genera.
adj
Of or pertaining to these hominids.
Example Sentences
- "It is as if there were enshrined in these legends a racial memory of the Australopithicines who came close but never did make it to full humanity."
- "Australopithecines came in several varieties, some slender and gracile, like Raymond Dart's Taung child, others more sturdy and robust, but all were capable of walking upright."
- "Caspari and Lee carried out comparisons ranging from ancient hominins such as australopithecines through to Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, assessing the ratios of young adults to old adults."
Etymology
Originally in reference to a now-obsolete subfamily Australopithecinae, formed in New Latin, from Latin austrālis (“southern”) + Ancient Greek πίθηκος (píthēkos, “ape”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, austrālis, πίθηκος
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˌɒstɹələ(ʊ)ˈpɪθɪsiːn/
Inflected Forms
Australopithecines (plural)
more australopithecine (comparative)
most australopithecine (superlative)