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dryopithecine

  (drī'ō-pĭth'ĭ-sēn') pronunciation
n.

An extinct ape of the genus Dryopithecus, known from Old World fossil remains of the Miocene and Pliocene epochs and believed to be an ancestor of the anthropoid apes and humans.

adj.

Of or belonging to the genus Dryopithecus.

[From New Latin Dryopithēcus, genus name : Greek drūs, oak + Greek pithēkos, ape.]


 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: dryopithecine

Any member of the genus Dryopithecus, a group of extinct apelike animals. The species are representative of a group of generalized apes that includes the ancestors of both the modern apes and humans. Fragmentary materials found over a widespread area, including Europe, Africa, and Asia, have been attributed to other groups but were probably remains of Dryopithecus. Dryopithecines are found as fossils in Miocene and Pliocene deposits (23.8 – 1.8 million years old) and apparently originated in Africa. Several distinct forms are known, including small, medium, and large (gorilla-sized). Dryopithecines lacked most of the specializations that distinguish modern apes from humans.

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WordNet: dryopithecine
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: considered a possible ancestor to both anthropoid apes and humans

 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more

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