pith·e·can·thro·pus  (pĭth'ĭ-kān'thrə-pəs, -kān-thrō'pəs)  n. An extinct primate postulated from bones found in Java in 1891 and originally designated Pithecanthropus erectus because it was thought to represent a species evolutionarily between apes and humans. Pithecanthropus is now classified as Homo erectus. [New Latin Pithēcanthrōpus, genus name : Greek pithēkos, ape + Greek anthrōpos, man.] pith'e·can·throp'ic (-kən-thrŏp'ĭk) adj., pith'e·can'thro·pine (-kān'thrə-pīn') adj. |
| pithecanthropus (pĭth'ĭ-kān'thrə-pəs, -kān-thrō'pəs) Pronunciation Key
An extinct hominid postulated from bones found in Java in 1891 and originally designated Pithecanthropus erectus because it was thought to represent a species evolutionarily between apes and humans. Pithecanthropus is now classified as Homo erectus. Also called Java man. See more at Homo erectus. |