Sinanthropus

[ sahy-nan-thruh-puhs, si-, sahy-nan-throh-puhs, sin-an- ]

noun

1. the genus to which Peking man was formerly assigned.

sinanthropus

/ sɪnˈænθrəpəs /

noun

1. a primitive apelike man of the genus Sinanthropus, now considered a subspecies of Homo erectus See also Java man Peking man

sinanthropus

/ sī-năn′thrə-pəs,sĭ-,sī′năn-thrō′pəs,sĭn′ăn- /

1. An extinct hominid postulated from bones found in China in the late 1920s and originally designated Sinanthropus pekinensis in the belief that it represented a species evolutionarily preceding humans. Sinanthropus is now classified as Homo erectus.
2. Also called Peking man
3. See more at Homo erectus

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sinanthropus¹

From New Latin (1927), equivalent to Sin- “Chinese” + Greek ánthrōpos “man”; Sino-

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sinanthropus¹

C20: from New Latin, from Late Latin Sīnae the Chinese + -anthropus, from Greek anthrōpos man

Example Sentences

The species were originally described as Sinanthropus pekinensis.

From National Geographic

Peking Man�Sinanthropus pekinensis�was the paleontological sensation of the 1920s.

From Time Magazine Archive

He made his reputation in 1929 when he discovered the skull of Sinanthropus, the Peking man, who lived half a million years ago.

From Time Magazine Archive

The late Dr. Davidson Black, who was in charge of the Choukoutien site when the Sinanthropus find was made, noticed how much the skull resembled that of the Java Man.

From Time Magazine Archive

Subsequently, one Sinanthropus find after another was made at Choukoutien, and the old Peking Man's anatomy came to be fairly well known.

From Time Magazine Archive