AUSTRALOPITHECINE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does australopithecine mean? 

• AUSTRALOPITHECINE (noun)
  The noun AUSTRALOPITHECINE has 1 sense:

1. any of several extinct humanlike bipedal primates with relatively small brains of the genus Australopithecus; from 1 to 4 million years ago

  Familiarity information: AUSTRALOPITHECINE used as a noun is very rare.

• AUSTRALOPITHECINE (adjective)
  The adjective AUSTRALOPITHECINE has 1 sense:

1. of or belonging to the hominid genus Australopithecus

  Familiarity information: AUSTRALOPITHECINE used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AUSTRALOPITHECINE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of several extinct humanlike bipedal primates with relatively small brains of the genus Australopithecus; from 1 to 4 million years ago

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("australopithecine" is a kind of...):

hominid (a primate of the family Hominidae)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "australopithecine"):

Australopithecus afarensis (fossils found in Ethiopia; from 3.5 to 4 million years ago)

Australopithecus africanus (gracile hominid of southern Africa; from about 3 million years ago)

Australopithecus boisei (large-toothed hominid of eastern Africa; from 1 to 2 million years ago)

genus Zinjanthropus; Zinjanthropus (genus to which Australopithecus boisei was formerly assigned)

Australopithecus robustus (large-toothed hominid of southern Africa; from 1.5 to 2 million years ago; formerly Paranthropus)

genus Paranthropus; Paranthropus (former classification for Australopithecus robustus)

Holonyms ("australopithecine" is a member of...):

Australopithecus; genus Australopithecus (extinct genus of African hominid)

Derivation:

australopithecine (of or belonging to the hominid genus Australopithecus)

• AUSTRALOPITHECINE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Of or belonging to the hominid genus Australopithecus

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Pertainym:

genus Australopithecus (extinct genus of African hominid)

Derivation:

australopithecine (any of several extinct humanlike bipedal primates with relatively small brains of the genus Australopithecus; from 1 to 4 million years ago)