australopithecine
UK/ˌɒstɹələ(ʊ)ˈpɪθɪsiːn/
australopithecine noun: any of several extinct hominids, belonging to the genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus in the subtribe Australopithecina when seen as distinct, and sometimes other closely related genera.
Noun (1)
australopithecine (plural australopithecines)
- Any of several extinct hominids, belonging to the genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus in the subtribe Australopithecina when seen as distinct, and sometimes other closely related genera.
- It is as if there were enshrined in these legends a racial memory of the Australopithicines who came close but never did make it to full humanity.1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 28
- Australopithecines came in several varieties, some slender and gracile, like Raymond Dart's Taung child, others more sturdy and robust, but all were capable of walking upright.2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, published 2003, page 391
Adjective (1)
australopithecine (comparative more australopithecine, superlative most australopithecine)
- Of or pertaining to these hominids.
- Synonyms:
- australopith
Noun (2) capitalized: Australopithecine
Australopithecine (plural Australopithecines)
- Alternative letter-case form of australopithecine.
Adjective (2) capitalized: Australopithecine
Australopithecine (not comparable)
- Alternative letter-case form of australopithecine.
Synonyms of australopithecine
Forms of australopithecine
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | australopithecines |
| alternative form | Australopithecine |
| plural | Australopithecines |
| Adjective | |
| comparative | more australopithecine |
| superlative | most australopithecine |
Origin of australopithecine
Originally in reference to a now-obsolete subfamily Australopithecinae, formed in New Latin, from Latin austrālis (“southern”) + Ancient Greek πίθηκος (píthēkos, “ape”).
Words formed from australopithecine
Questions about australopithecine
- What does australopithecine mean?
- Australopithecine means any of several extinct hominids, belonging to the genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus in the subtribe Australopithecina when seen as distinct, and sometimes other closely related genera.
- What part of speech is australopithecine?
- Australopithecine can be a noun or an adjective.
- How do you pronounce australopithecine?
- Australopithecine is pronounced /ˌɒstɹələ(ʊ)ˈpɪθɪsiːn/ (UK).
- What is the plural of australopithecine?
- The plural of australopithecine is australopithecines.
Words near australopithecine in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: australopithecine (page history and authors); Australopithecine (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Cite this entry: “australopithecine.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/australopithecine. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.