Definition of anthropoid
1 : any of a suborder (Anthropoidea) of higher primates (such as macaques and marmosets); especially : ape 1b
2 : a person resembling an ape the howling anthropoids of the Hookworm Belt — H. L. Mencken
anthropoid
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Recent Examples of anthropoid from the Web
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Since humans are apes, and apes are anthropoid primates, the last common ancestor of all anthropoids would be one of our distant primate ancestors.
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Did You Know?
With its suffix -oid, meaning "resembling", the word anthropoid means literally "resembling a human being". Anthropoid apes are so called because they resemble humans more closely than do other primates such as monkeys and lemurs. Some even spend a good deal of time walking on their hind legs. Anthropoids are, of course, highly intelligent (though maybe no more so than many monkeys), and some of them use sticks and stones as tools. (But if you call someone an anthropoid, you're probably not complimenting his intelligence.)
Origin and Etymology of anthropoid
Greek anthrōpoeidēs resembling a human, from anthrōpos
First Known Use: 1874
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of anthropoid
1: resembling humans—used especially of apes of the family Pongidae
2of the pelvis : having a relatively great anteroposterior dimension—compare android, gynecoid, platypelloid
Learn More about anthropoid
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See words that rhyme with anthropoid Spanish Central: Translation of anthropoid Nglish: Translation of anthropoid for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anthropoid
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