hominids - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hom·i·nid Audio Help   (hŏm'ə-nĭd) Pronunciation Key
n.   A primate of the family Hominidae, of which Homo sapiens is the only extant species.

adj.   Of the Hominidae.

[From New Latin Hominidae, family name, from Latin homō, homin-, man; see dhghem- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
hominids

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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hominid Audio Help (hŏm'ə-nĭd) Pronunciation Key
Any of various primates of the family Hominidae, whose only living members are modern humans. Hominids are characterized by an upright gait, increased brain size and intelligence compared with other primates, a flattened face, and reduction in the size of the teeth and jaw. Besides the modern species Homo sapiens, hominids also include extinct species of Homo (such as H. erectus) and the extinct genus Australopithecus. In some classifications, the family Hominidae also includes the anthropoid apes.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
hominids [(hom-uh-nidz)]

The biological family that includes our species, Homo sapiens. This family has also included Neanderthals and other forerunners of today's humans, such as Australopithecus, Homo erectus, and Homo habilis. Today's human beings are the only surviving hominids.

[Chapter:] Life Sciences

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