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Definition of hominin
: any of a taxonomic tribe (Hominini) of hominids that includes recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms
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Recent Examples of hominin from the Web
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Before then, the hominin group that's as genetically distinct from modern humans as Neanderthals was completely unknown.
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During mining operations, a section of earth collapsed, revealing various bones – including a nearly complete hominin skull.
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At the time, six hominin fossils were collected from the site.
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In that view, modern humans evolved out of a long chain of hominins, starting with the primitive primates and becoming increasingly sophisticated and more like us over time.
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What’s more, the Moroccan site is in northwest Africa, far from the sites in East and South Africa that have yielded many of Africa’s other hominin fossils.
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This is still unknown, although the researchers suggest the possibility that there were multiple groups of hominins, or human ancestors, overlapping and having complex relationships.
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In 1960, a mining operation unearthed an array of animal and human bones there, including a nearly complete hominin skull.
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Unlike us, the ancient hominins had brains the size of chimps and hung out in trees to escape predators.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hominin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of hominin
New Latin Hominini, from Homin-, Homo + -ini, tribe suffix, from Latin -inus 1-ine
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