hominid
/ˈhɒmɪnɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːmɪnɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhä-mə-nəd -ˌnid/ (ame, mw)
hominid — noun
- hominidsingular
- hominidsplural
1. a primate belonging to the biological family that groups modern people together
a primate belonging to the biological family that groups modern people together with gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans, plus their extinct relatives known from fossils.
Adaeze studies how living hominids share roughly ninety-eight percent of their DNA.
scientific register: living hominids as a taxonomic grouping
The zoo's new exhibit displays four kinds of hominid: humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans.
collocation: kinds of hominid listed by species
Christopher explained that orangutans count as hominids even though many people picture only humans.
Most hominids walk on two legs at least some of the time during their daily activities.
Researchers in Borneo recorded how wild hominids use sticks to dig insects from rotten wood.
文法句型
a/the hominid
hominids of [region]
用法筆記
Modern biology groups great apes and humans together as hominids; older textbooks restricted the term to humans and their direct ancestors only. Distinguish from sense 2, which keeps that narrower meaning.
常見錯誤
2. a human being, or a much earlier walking ancestor of humans known mainly from fo
a human being, or a much earlier walking ancestor of humans known mainly from fossil bones found in Africa and Asia.
Mira's team uncovered a partial skull belonging to an early hominid in the Kenyan highlands.
collocation: early hominid + fossil discovery context
These small stone tools were probably made by hominids living about two million years ago.
pattern: hominids living [time period] ago
Reema argued that the footprints showed a hominid walking upright across the wet ash.
Fossil hominids found at this site help scientists trace how the human jaw and teeth changed.
Joaquín wonders what early hominids ate before they learned to control fire and cook meat.
- hominin
stricter scientific term that excludes great apes; covers only humans and their direct ancestors
- early human
everyday phrase used in popular science writing instead of the technical term
文法句型
early hominid
fossil hominid
用法筆記
Frequently appears as 'early hominid' or 'fossil hominid' when discussing prehistoric ancestors. Distinguish from sense 1, which covers the wider modern biological family including great apes.
常見錯誤
hominid — adjective
- hominidpositive
- more hominidcomparative
- most hominidsuperlative
1. describing something that belongs to, or shares features with, the biological fa
describing something that belongs to, or shares features with, the biological family of humans and great apes.
Indra's lecture compared hominid hand bones with those of smaller monkeys from South America.
attributive: hominid + body-part noun
Wren found several hominid teeth in the cave layer dated to one million years ago.
collocation: hominid teeth in archaeological context
The journal published new data on hominid brain size across the last four million years.
Élise photographs hominid behaviour at sanctuaries that care for rescued chimpanzees and orangutans.
- hominin
narrower term used when the focus is on humans and their direct ancestors only
文法句型
hominid + noun
用法筆記
Used only before a noun (attributive). Almost always appears in scientific writing about anatomy, behaviour, or evolution; you will rarely hear it in everyday speech.