Australopithecus afarensis

[ aw-strey-loh-pith-i-kuhs uh-fah-ren-sis, -puh-thee-kuhs, aw-struh-loh- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an extinct species of early hominin whose fossil remains were discovered in Ethiopia and have been dated at about 2.8–4 million years of age.
a fossil belonging to this species.

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Word History and Origins

First recorded in 1975–80; from New Latin; Australopithecus ( def ) + afarēnsis, after the Afar region of Ethiopia, where Lucy was found. See -ensis

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