australopithecine

American  

[aw-strey-loh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn, aw-struh-loh-] / ɔˌstreɪ loʊˈpɪθ əˌsin, -ˌsaɪn, -pəˈθi sɪn, -ˌsaɪn, ˌɔ strə loʊ- /

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a member of the extinct genus Australopithecus.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling the genus Australopithecus or its members.

australopithecine British  

/ ˌɒstrələʊˈpɪθɪˌsiːn /

noun

1. any of various extinct apelike primates of the genus Australopithecus and related genera, remains of which have been discovered in southern and E Africa. Some species are estimated to be over 4.5 million years old See also zinjanthropus

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adjective

1. of or relating to any of these primates

australopithecine Scientific  

/ ô-strā′lō-pĭth′ĭ-sēn′ /

1. Any of several early hominids of the genus Australopithecus of eastern and southern Africa, known from fossils dating from about 4 million to about 1 million years ago. The most complete australopithecine skeleton found so far, named Lucy by its discoverers, is estimated to be just over 3 million years old. While many scientists believe that australopithecines are ancestors of modern humans, not enough fossils have yet been found to establish any direct descent.

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Etymology

Origin of australopithecine

First recorded in 1935–40; Australopithec(us) + -ine ¹

Example Sentences

The mission name “Lucy” is a nod to the 3.2 million-year-old australopithecine skeleton discovered in 1974, which revealed secrets of human evolution.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 16, 2021

Alternatively, H. floresiensis inherited its small proportions and other out-of-time features from a more primitive ancestor—an australopithecine of some sort—that somehow managed to disperse from Africa into Asia.

From Scientific American • Apr. 11, 2019

They may also have served as a crucial food source for our own australopithecine ancestors.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 10, 2018

Berger decided the skeletons were a new species of australopithecine, which he named Australopithecus sediba.

From National Geographic • Sep. 10, 2015

One of the skulls looks more like it comes from an australopithecine, he says, as do certain features of the femurs.

From Nature • Sep. 9, 2015