paleoanthropology

noun

pa·​leo·​an·​thro·​pol·​o·​gy ˌpā-lē-ō-ˌan(t)-thrə-ˈpä-lə-jē 

 especially British  ˌpa-

: a branch of anthropology dealing with fossil hominids

paleoanthropological

ˌpā-lē-ō-ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

 especially British  ˌpa-

adjective

paleoanthropologist

ˌpā-lē-ō-ˌan(t)-thrə-ˈpä-lə-jist 

 especially British  ˌpa-

noun

Examples of paleoanthropology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But two new studies — which researchers say are among the biggest paleoanthropology papers of the year — detail how scientists were able to extract genetic material from the fossil and help unravel this biological mystery. —Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 21 June 2025

Mysterious early human relatives The mountainous region of Spain where the fossils were found has been an important locale for paleoanthropology. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025

To Gerhard Weber, one of the founders of virtual paleoanthropology and head of a micro-CT lab at the University of Vienna, PaleoScan isn’t necessarily the game changer X-ray scanning was. —Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Aug. 2024

Watch to learn about Lucy’s legacy and how the field of paleoanthropology has evolved, from Lucy discoverer Johanson, leading paleoanthropologist Yohannes Haile-Selassie, and Science Contributing Correspondent Ann Gibbons. —Bymeagan Cantwell, science.org, 30 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

paleo- + anthropology, probably after French paléoanthropologie

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paleoanthropology

• anesthesiology
• epidemiology
• ethnomethodology
• ethnomusicology
• gastroenterology
• immunobiology
• immunopathology
• neuropharmacology
• neurophysiology
• neuroradiology
• otolaryngology
• paleobiology