hominid

or hom·o·nid

[ hom-uh-nid ]

noun

, Anthropology, Zoology.

1. any member of the family Hominidae, consisting of all modern and extinct humans and great apes (including gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans), and all their immediate ancestors. hominin.

hominid

/ ˈhɒmɪnɪd /

noun

1. any primate of the family Hominidae, which includes modern man ( Homo sapiens ) and the extinct precursors of man

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Hominidae

hominid

/ hŏm′ə-nĭd /

1. Any of various primates of the family Hominidae, whose only living members are modern humans. Hominids are characterized by an upright gait, increased brain size and intelligence compared with other primates, a flattened face, and reduction in the size of the teeth and jaw. Besides the modern species Homo sapiens, hominids also include extinct species of Homo (such as H. erectus ) and the extinct genus Australopithecus. In some classifications, the family Hominidae also includes the anthropoid apes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hominid¹

1885–90; < New Latin Hominidae, equivalent to Latin homin- (stem of homō ) “human being, man” ( Homo ) + -idae ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hominid¹

C19: via New Latin from Latin homo man + -id ²

Example Sentences

While brown bears don’t eat humans, they still kill about twice as many hominids as the North American black bear, mostly in protection of their cubs.

From Seattle Times

The authors add, "In wild chimpanzees, the intricacies of tool use learning continue into adulthood. This pattern supports ideas that large brains across hominids allow continued learning through the first two decades of life."

From Science Daily

Her search through sediment from various levels of the Ranis excavation turned up DNA from a broad array of mammals, but none from hominids.

From Science Daily

Previous work on Pierolapithecus suggests that an upright body plan preceded adaptations that allowed hominids to hang from tree branches and move among them.

From Science Daily

"It's not so unusual to get useful DNA from very old specimens of our hominid ancestors or other animals," Pool says.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• animal
• mortal
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