Australopithecus afarensis

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

noun
  1. 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.

  2. a fossil belonging to this species.

Origin of Australopithecus afarensis

1
First recorded in 1975–80; from New Latin; Australopithecus + afarēnsis, after the Afar region of Ethiopia, where Lucy was found. See -ensis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024