australopithecine
noun
aus·tra·lo·pith·e·cine
ȯ-ˌstrā-lō-ˈpi-thə-ˌsīn 
ä-;
ˌȯ-strə-,
ˌä-
australopithecine
adjective
Examples of australopithecine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An australopithecine might encode this episode very simply—as a minor pain and as an identifiable feature of the shrub.
—
Heather Pringle, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
One aggregate comprised later australopithecines, who lived in Africa from three million to 1.5 million years ago.
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
Recent analyses of fossil teeth indicate that grandparents were rare in ancient populations, such as those of the australopithecines and the Neandertals.
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
The list of prime suspects features several species of australopithecine, but Harmand and Lewis also have their eye on Kenyanthropus platyops, a fossil discovered in 1998 very close to the Lomekwi 3 site.
—Hillary Waterman, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2015
Fossils show our australopithecine ancestors had vocal structures akin to gorillas, which lack the ability to carry a tune.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2018
The Taung Child, our first encounter with an ancient group of proto-humans or hominins called australopithecines, was a turning point in the study of human evolution.
—Elizabeth Sawchuk, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2019
Over the past few decades, researchers have discovered dozens of fragments of australopithecine fossils in Ethiopia and Kenya that date back more than 4 million years.
—Colin Barras, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2019
The new specimen—described today in the journal Nature—is the oldest skull ever found of an australopithecine, a pivotal group of early human ancestors that lived between 1.5 and four million years ago.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Heather Pringle, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
One aggregate comprised later australopithecines, who lived in Africa from three million to 1.5 million years ago.
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
Recent analyses of fossil teeth indicate that grandparents were rare in ancient populations, such as those of the australopithecines and the Neandertals.
—Rachel Caspari, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2016
The list of prime suspects features several species of australopithecine, but Harmand and Lewis also have their eye on Kenyanthropus platyops, a fossil discovered in 1998 very close to the Lomekwi 3 site.
—Hillary Waterman, Discover Magazine, 30 Sep. 2015
Fossils show our australopithecine ancestors had vocal structures akin to gorillas, which lack the ability to carry a tune.
—Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 30 June 2018
The Taung Child, our first encounter with an ancient group of proto-humans or hominins called australopithecines, was a turning point in the study of human evolution.
—Elizabeth Sawchuk, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2019
Over the past few decades, researchers have discovered dozens of fragments of australopithecine fossils in Ethiopia and Kenya that date back more than 4 million years.
—Colin Barras, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2019
The new specimen—described today in the journal Nature—is the oldest skull ever found of an australopithecine, a pivotal group of early human ancestors that lived between 1.5 and four million years ago.
—Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019
Dictionary Entries Near australopithecine
Cite this Entry
“Australopithecine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/australopithecine. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
australopithecine
adjective
aus·tra·lo·pith·e·cine
ȯ-ˌstrā-lō-ˈpith-ə-ˌsīn
ä-ˌstrā-;
ˌȯs-trə-,
ˌäs-trə-
: of or relating to a group of extinct southern African apes that stood upright, walked on two legs, and had teeth somewhat like those of human beings but had a smaller brain
australopithecine
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share