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Glite Dictionary
Meganthropus

Meganthropus

1 9.9
A large extinct humanlike animal known from fossils found in Java
  • proper noun
  • Specialized
: Megantrópico
  • The discovery of Meganthropus fossils in Java was groundbreaking.

Examples

  • Did researchers find any new Meganthropus fossils this year?

  • Some researchers argue that Meganthropus should be classified within Homo erectus.

  • Fossils attributed to Meganthropus were discovered in Java in the early twentieth century.

  • The jawbone of Meganthropus suggests it was much larger than modern humans.

  • Fossils attributed to Meganthropus were discovered in Java in the early twentieth century.

  • The jawbone of Meganthropus suggests it was much larger than modern humans.

  • Some researchers argue that Meganthropus should be classified within Homo erectus.

Surface Forms

Meganthropus main

Morphology

Meganthropus = mega + anthropus

The name contains the classical prefix mega- meaning 'large', but the remaining learned stem anthropus is not a transparent standalone English base for an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Meganthropus comes from two Greek parts: mega- meaning 'large' (like the 'mega' in 'megabyte') and anthropus meaning 'human'. So the name literally says 'large human', which fits the very big early human fossils found in Java.