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australopithecine

australopithecine [aw-strey-loh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn, aw-struh-] Word Origin noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) a member of the extinct genus Australopithecus.

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling the genus Australopithecus or its members.

Origin of australopithecine First recorded in 1935–40; Australopithec(us) + -ine1 Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 British Dictionary definitions for australopithecine australopithecine noun

any of various extinct apelike primates of the genus Australopithecus and related genera, remains of which have been discovered in southern and E Africa. Some species are estimated to be over 4.5 million years oldSee also zinjanthropus

adjective

of or relating to any of these primates

Word Origin for australopithecine C20: from New Latin Australopithecus, from Latin austrālis southern, austral 1 + Greek pithēkos ape Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 australopithecine in Science australopithecine [ô-strā′lō-pĭth′ĭ-sēn′]

Any of several early hominids of the genus Australopithecus of eastern and southern Africa, known from fossils dating from about 4 million to about 1 million years ago. The most complete australopithecine skeleton found so far, named Lucy by its discoverers, is estimated to be just over 3 million years old. While many scientists believe that australopithecines are ancestors of modern humans, not enough fossils have yet been found to establish any direct descent.