hominid

hom·i·nid

noun \ˈhä-mə-nəd, -ˌnid\

Definition of HOMINID

: any of a family (Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals that includes recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms and in some recent classifications the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan

— hominid adjective

Origin of HOMINID

New Latin Hominidae, from Homin-, Homo + -idae

First Known Use: circa 1889

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

hom·i·nid

noun \ˈhäm-ə-nəd, -ˌnid\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of HOMINID

: any bipedal primate mammal of the family Hominidae

—hominid adjective

hominid

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any member of the zoological family Hominidae (order Primates), which consists of the great apes (orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos) as well as human beings. Formerly, only humans (with their extinct forebears) were categorized as hominids, and the great apes were categorized as pongids—that is, members of the primate family Pongidae. However, morphological and molecular studies now indicate that humans are closely related to chimpanzees, while gorillas are more distant and orangutans more distant still. As a result, it has become more common among zoologists to consider humans and great apes to be hominids. See also hominin.