hominin

[ hom-uh-nin ]

noun

, Anthropology, Zoology.

1. any member of the group consisting of all modern and extinct humans and their immediate ancestors, specifically members of the tribe Hominini.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hominin¹

First recorded in 1985–90; from New Latin Hominīnī, equivalent to Latin homin- (stem of homō ) “human being, man” + -īnī (plural of the adjective suffix -īnus indicating origin or affiliation); Homo ( def ), -ine ¹( def ) )

Example Sentences

But, it is unclear when cumulative culture first developed during hominin evolution.

From Science Daily

"By 600,000 years ago or so, hominin populations started relying on unusually complex technologies, and we only see rapid increases in complexity after that time as well. Both of those findings match what we expect to see among hominins who rely on cumulative culture," said Paige, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Missouri and ASU PhD graduate.

From Science Daily

Humans, Homo sapiens, have unique features compared with other closely related hominin species and primates, including the shape of the base of the skull.

From Science Daily

Conventionally, climate is held responsible for the emergence and extinction of hominin species.

From Science Daily

Now, research shows for the first time that competition was fundamental to "speciation" -- the rate at which new species emerge -- across five million years of hominin evolution.

From Science Daily