physical anthropology
- noun
- /ˈfɪzɪkəl ˌænθrəˈpɒlədʒi/
- Specialized
:
antropología física
- The study of physical anthropology involves examining the biological evolution and variation of human beings across generations.
- physical anthropology and archaeology
Examples
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Reichs, born in 1950, has a doctorate in physical anthropology and is certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.
Blog text (15) -
Early anthropologists relied on observation of anatomical characteristics, and this remains a mainstay of physical anthropology.
Academic text (1996) -
These tools are comparable to ones actually used in physical anthropology research.
Academic text (2007) -
Samuel G. Morton, called "the father of American physical anthropology," was a leader in this movement.
Academic text (1996) -
Like other scientific disciplines, physical anthropology has undergone revolutionary changes in recent years.
Academic text (1998) -
With the new possibilities of genetic research, however, the older categories of physical anthropology have begun to be reinvigorated.
Academic text (2018) -
To accomplish this aim, Heye hired many trained anthropologists and established a department of physical anthropology.
Academic text (2006) -
In the 15 years since finding the first piece of the Ardi skeleton, Haile-Selassie has risen to become the head of the physical anthropology department at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Academic text (2010) -
All the subdisciplines of anthropology are reflected in the essays, including physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and applied anthropology.
Academic text (1998) -
Anagnostis Agelarakis is a professor of physical anthropology at Adelphi University; the translations of Hippocratic and Homeric excerpts are his.
Academic text (2006)
Synonyms
1
9.9
Study of old human bones and how early humans changed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'physical' (relating to the body or biological aspects) modifies 'anthropology' (the study of humans), so the phrase straightforwardly denotes the study of humans' physical/biological characteristics. This adjective+noun academic formation is common cross-linguistically and would be reliably inferred by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Physical anthropology names the 'body' side of studying people: physical (bodies, bones, fossils) and anthropology (the study of humans). Scientists looked at bones and fossils to see how people changed over time, so the phrase means the branch that studies human origins and physical variation.