hominid

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noun hom·i·nid \ ˈhä-mə-nəd , -ˌnid \

Definition of hominid

anthropology :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

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hominid

adjective

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Recent Examples of hominid from the Web

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Researchers from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History have discovered many impressive species around the world, from dinosaurs to Lucy the early hominid.

— grant segall, cleveland.com, "Dung beetles and their researchers are rare species: CMNH scientist makes discoveries (photos)," 15 July 2017
So are these elephants and hominids still separate species?

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "What Does it Mean to Be a Species? Genetics is Changing the Answer," 18 May 2017
The discovery, and research done on a cave full of 15 skeletons nearby, strongly suggests the little hominids were much less ancient than previously thought.

— maggie fox, NBC News, "Early Human Homo Naledi May Have Made Tools, Buried Dead," 9 May 2017
Hit the National Museum of Ethiopia to see the 3.2-million-year-old bones of the hominid Lucy, dug up in the north; and the chaotic Merkato, Africa’s largest outdoor market.

— alex postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "Go to Ethiopia for Ancient History, Jazz, and a Capital City on the Rise," 28 Mar. 2017
Already, their results support a more nuanced understanding of our ancient hominid cousins.

— the washington post, Twin Cities, "Neanderthal microbes reveal surprises about what they ate, and whom they kissed," 8 Mar. 2017
Winner Lee Berger, a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, leads paleontological expeditions, including one that led to Africa’s largest fossil hominid discovery, in 2013.

— mike hettwer, National Geographic, "Fossil Hunters and Climber Among Winning Explorers," 15 June 2016
The mammal assemblage of the hominid site TM266 (Late Miocene, Chad Basin): ecological structure and paleoenvironmental implications Naturwissenschaften, 96 (5), 565-574 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-008-0504-7 LIKIUS, A., VIGNAUD, P., & BRUNET, M. (2007).

— brian switek, WIRED, "Toumai and the Sabercats," 20 Jan. 2011
An acoustic guitar and a synthesizer sit beside a sofa, and above the sofa hangs a large neo-expressionist painting by his sister, depicting a pair of fantastical hominids.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "More From the New Yorker," 2 Apr. 2007

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hominid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hominid

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1889

See Words from the same year

Other Mammals Terms

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

Medical Dictionary

hominid

play

noun hom·i·nid \ ˈhäm-ə-nəd, -ˌnid \

medical 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 organgutan

—

hominid

adjective

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Britannica English: Translation of hominid for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hominid

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hominid

Definition of hominid

hominid

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Origin and Etymology of hominid

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hominid

medical Definition of hominid

hominid

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