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Glite Dictionary
Pithecanthropus erectus

Pithecanthropus erectus

9.9
An old name for early human fossils now called Homo erectus
  • noun
  • /ˌpɪθɪˈkænθrəpəs ɪˈrɛktəs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Pithecanthropus erectus
  • Many fossils once called Pithecanthropus erectus are now identified as Homo erectus.

Examples

  • The discovery of Pithecanthropus erectus in Java was a major milestone in paleoanthropology.

  • The Pithecanthropus erectus remains were discovered by Eugene Dubois.

  • Early textbooks in anthropology often referred to Pithecanthropus erectus rather than using the modern term.

  • Did you study Pithecanthropus erectus?

  • Many fossils once identified as Pithecanthropus erectus are now classified as Homo erectus.

  • The discovery of Pithecanthropus erectus in Java transformed our understanding of early humans.

  • Early textbooks in anthropology often highlighted Pithecanthropus erectus as a significant human ancestor.

Synonyms

Homo erectus
vsPithecanthropus erectus
  • Specialized
2 8.2

An early human no longer alive that walked upright and used simple tools

is the older genus name replaced by the accepted species name

Surface Forms

Pithecanthropus erectus singular
Pithecanthropus erecti plural

Morphology

Pithecanthropus + erectus

The phrase is a scientific taxonomic binomial whose parts (Pithecanthropus, a genus name, and erectus, Latin for 'upright') do provide an analyzable clue — together they point to an 'upright ape/hominid'. However, recognizing and using Greek/Latin roots and taxonomic naming conventions is specialist knowledge beyond the average B1 learner, so the meaning is only partly predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Pithecanthropus erectus comes from word parts: Pithecanthropus meant 'ape-man' and erectus meant 'upright'. Scientists used this name for early human bones that looked like something between apes and people, so those fossils are now called 'Homo erectus'.