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Dryopithecus

American  
[drahy-oh-pith-i-kuhs, -puh-thee-] / ˌdraɪ oʊˈpɪθ ɪ kəs, -pəˈθi- /

noun

  1. an extinct genus of generalized hominoids that lived in Europe and Africa during the Miocene Epoch and whose members are characterized by small molars and incisors.

  2. one of the four subgenera of this genus, limited to Europe.


Etymology

Origin of Dryopithecus

< New Latin (1856) < Greek drŷ ( s ) tree, oak + -o- -o- + píthēkos monkey

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.

One molar which he was able to examine closely showed close affinities to Dryopithecus, a well-known genus of extinct apes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Much later—by 14 million years ago—the Dryopithecus line had split into three branches.

From Time Magazine Archive

Simons is heading for Egypt in search of fossils that could enable him to trace man's roots back beyond Dryopithecus.

From Time Magazine Archive

The general pattern seemed closely related to the dentition of Dryopithecus, a celebrated extinct ape.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lartet, E., comparison of cranial capacities of skulls of recent and tertiary mammals; on the size of the brain in mammals; on Dryopithecus; on pre-historic flutes.

From The Descent of Man by Darwin, Charles