australopithecine

[aw-strey-loh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn, aw-struh-]

aus·tra·lo·pith·e·cine

[aw-strey-loh-pith-uh-seen, -sahyn, -puh-thee-sin, -sahyn, aw-struh-]
noun
1.
(sometimes initial capital letter) a member of the extinct genus Australopithecus.
adjective
2.
of, pertaining to, or resembling the genus Australopithecus or its members.

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Australopithecine has a plethora of syllables.
So is antidisestablishmentarianism. Does it mean:
opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.

Origin:
1935–40; Australopithec(us) + -ine1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
australopithecine (ˌɒstrələʊˈpɪθɪˌsiːn)
 
n
1.  See also zinjanthropus any of various extinct apelike primates of the genus Australopithecus and related genera, remains of which have been discovered in southern and E Africa. Some species are estimated to be over 4.5 million years old
 
adj
2.  of or relating to any of these primates
 
[C20: from New Latin Australopithecus, from Latin austrālis southern, austral1 + Greek pithēkos ape]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
australopithecine   (ô-strā'lō-pĭth'ĭ-sēn')  Pronunciation Key 
Any of several early hominids of the genus Australopithecus of eastern and southern Africa, known from fossils dating from about 4 million to about 1 million years ago. The most complete australopithecine skeleton found so far, named Lucy by its discoverers, is estimated to be just over 3 million years old. While many scientists believe that australopithecines are ancestors of modern humans, not enough fossils have yet been found to establish any direct descent.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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