Heidelberg man
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈhaɪdəlbɜrg mæn/
- Specialized
- Scientists believe that Heidelberg man was a common ancestor of both Neanderthals and modern humans.
Examples
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The Heidelberg man is believed to have lived around 600,000 years ago.
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The discovery of the Heidelberg man fossils provided new insights into human evolution.
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Archaeological sites in Europe have revealed tools made by Heidelberg man.
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Many fossils of Heidelberg men have been discovered in Europe.
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Archaeological sites in Europe have revealed tools made by Heidelberg man.
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Scientists believe that Heidelberg man was a common ancestor of both Neanderthals and modern humans.
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The discovery of the Heidelberg man fossils provided new insights into human evolution.
Synonyms
1
9.9
An extinct human species from Europe and Africa that used simple tools
Surface Forms
Morphology
Heidelberg + man
The compound is partly transparent because 'man' clearly indicates a human and 'Heidelberg' signals a place or origin, so a learner would likely infer a human associated with Heidelberg. However, the specific technical sense — an extinct species (Homo heidelbergensis) from the Middle Pleistocene — is specialized and not predictable from the parts alone, so the full scientific meaning would not be reliably derived by a B1 learner.
Etymology
Heidelberg man comes from the first fossil found near the town of Heidelberg in Germany, so scientists called the bones a man from that place. That's why Heidelberg man now means 'an extinct early human' and not a person living today.