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Boskop man

Boskop man

9.9
A possible early human known from a skull found in South Africa
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑːskɒp mæn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : hombre Boskop
  • Some scientists now believe that Boskop man belonged to early Homo sapiens, not a separate species.

Examples

  • The discovery of the Boskop man skull led to early theories about human evolution in Africa.

  • The Boskop man fossils were initially thought to show a unique human lineage.

  • The Boskop man is believed to have lived over 10,000 years ago.

  • Many scientists study the Boskop men to understand human evolution.

  • Some scientists now believe that Boskop man belonged to early Homo sapiens, not a separate species.

  • The discovery of the Boskop man skull led to early theories about human evolution in Africa.

  • The Boskop man fossils were initially thought to show a unique human lineage.

Surface Forms

Boskop man singular
Boskop men plural

Morphology

Boskop + man

The phrase pairs the unknown proper name 'Boskop' with 'man', so a learner who knows 'man' can infer it refers to a person or human group associated with Boskop. However, because 'Boskop' is an unfamiliar toponym and the term denotes a specific paleontological classification (an early Homo sapiens/cranium), the precise technical meaning is not derivable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Boskop man comes from the name of a place, Boskop, in South Africa where a large old skull was found and studied, and the fossil was called the Boskop man. So today the name refers to that early human skull or a possible early 'Homo sapiens'.