Homo habilis

[ hoh-moh hab-uh-lis ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an extinct species of upright East African hominin having some advanced humanlike characteristics, dated as being from about 1.5 million to more than 2 million years old and proposed as an early form of Homo leading to modern humans.
a fossil belonging to this species.

Homo habilis

/ ˈhæbɪlɪs /

noun

an extinct species of primitive man, the first to use stone tools

Homo habilis

/ hăb′ə-ləs /

An extinct species of early humans, known from fossils found in eastern Africa and often considered to be the first member of the genus Homo. It is associated with stone tools of the Oldowan culture. Homo habilis existed between about 2.5 and 1.6 million years ago and overlapped with late australopithecines and other hominids whose relationship to each other and to the later Homo erectus are uncertain.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Homo habilis¹

First recorded in 1960–65; from New Latin: literally “skillful man, handy man,” because this species was thought to represent the first maker of stone tools. The oldest stone tools, however, are currently dated slightly older than the oldest evidence of the genus Homo