Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

homo

play
noun, often capitalized ho·mo \ˈhō-(ˌ)mō\

Definition of homo

plural

homos

  1. :  any of a genus (Homo) of hominids that includes modern humans (H. sapiens) and several extinct related species (such as H. erectus and H. habilis)

From the M-W Editors

image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
alt-59760690a61d7
Trending: Trump Tweets, We Define: 'Beleaguered'
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

Origin and Etymology of homo

New Latin Homin-, Homo, from Latin, human being — more at homage

Other Anthropology Terms

ectomorph, ethnography, prehistory, yurt

2

homo

noun ho·mo

Definition of homo

plural

homos

slang, disparaging + offensive

  1. :  homosexual

homo

adjective, disparaging + offensive

Origin and Etymology of homo

by shortening

homo-

ho·mo

Definition of homo-

  1. — see hom-

HOMO- Defined for Kids

homo-

ho·mo

Definition of homo- for Students

  1. see hom-

Medical Dictionary

1

homo

play
noun ho·mo \ˈhō-(ˌ)mō\

Medical Definition of homo

  1. 1 capitalized :  a genus of primate mammals of the family Hominidae that includes modern humans (H. sapiens) and several extinct related species (as H. erectus)

  2. 2plural homos :  any primate mammal of the genus Homo

2

homo

noun ho·mo

Medical Definition of homo

plural

homos

  1. often disparaging :  homosexual

homo

adjective

Learn More about homo

  1. Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about homo

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up homo? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

haphazard

play

marked by lack of plan or order

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. beleaguer 'Being subjected to constant or repeated trouble or harassment'

  2. scaramouch A new White House communications director

  3. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  4. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  5. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

homo

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-596f95fe451e7
'Drought' & 'Drouth' Take Us Back In Time

A variant spelling with a long history

alt-59721dd897313
The 'Best' Way to Sign Off On An E-mail

Give them your best

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Dictionary Devil
Dictionary Devil

The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?

Play the game