homo

IPA/ˈhəʊ.məʊ/
KK[hˈomo]IPA/ˈhoʊ.moʊ/

homo — noun

  • homosingular
  • homosplural

1. a very rude and hateful word directed at a man who feels romantic or sexual attr

1.nounB2
Definition

a very rude and hateful word directed at a man who feels romantic or sexual attraction toward other men. This term is always used as an insult and should never be repeated, as it causes deep harm.

Example

Manuela heard a group of boys shout 'homo!' at their classmate in the hallway.

shows the word used as a direct verbal insult

School rules now ban the word 'homo' because students used it to bully others.

Synonyms
  • gay man

    the only respectful and neutral term; use this instead of 'homo' in all situations

  • homosexual

    formal, clinical term; acceptable in academic contexts but 'gay' is preferred in everyday language

Antonyms
  • straight man

    refers to a man attracted to women; no offensive connotation

  • heterosexual man

    formal term for someone attracted to the opposite sex

Usage Note

This is an extremely offensive slur. Never use it to refer to a gay person, even if you hear others using it casually. The neutral and respectful terms are 'gay man' or 'a gay person.' Using this word in any context outside of direct discussion about the slur itself can cause serious offense.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is a homo.
My uncle is a gay man.
'homo' is a hateful slur; 'gay' is the respectful, neutral term.
Some of my friends are homos.
Some of my friends are gay.
using 'homo' to describe a group is also offensive.

2. the scientific group (genus) of primates that includes modern human beings, Homo

2.nounC1
Definition

the scientific group (genus) of primates that includes modern human beings, Homo sapiens, together with closely related extinct species such as Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis.

Example

The earliest members of the genus Homo appeared in Africa about two million years ago.

Femi's anthropology class studied how the skull shape changed from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens.

collocation: Homo erectus / Homo sapiens

Common collocations
  • genus Homo
  • Homo sapiens
  • Homo erectus
  • Homo habilis
  • Homo neanderthalensis
  • early Homo
  • Homo species
Synonyms
  • human genus

    plain English equivalent of 'genus Homo'; less formal

  • Homo sapiens

    the only surviving species in the genus Homo; often used to refer to all modern humans

Usage Note

When referring to the biological genus, always capitalize 'Homo' and write the full species name in italics (e.g., Homo sapiens). The genus is commonly discussed in paleoanthropology, evolutionary biology, and archaeology. This term has no connection to the offensive slur with the same spelling — the two words are from different origins.

Common Mistakes

Homo Sapiens live in many places.
Homo sapiens live in many places.
the second word (species name) is lower case, not capitalized.
The homo genus includes modern humans.
The genus Homo includes modern humans.
'Homo' should always be capitalized in this sense and typically follows 'genus.'

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

These four terms are often confused in discussions of human evolution. 'Hominid' refers to the entire biological family Hominidae, which includes humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans — it is the broadest term. 'Hominin' is narrower and refers to the tribe Hominini, which includes modern humans and our direct ancestors after the split from chimpanzees. 'Homo' is the genus name for the group that emerged around 2.8 million years ago, characterised by larger brains and tool use. 'Homo sapiens' is just one species within this genus — the one that survives today. For example: 'All Homo sapiens are hominins, but not all hominins belong to the genus Homo (e.g., Australopithecus is a hominin but not Homo).'

hominid ↗hominin ↗human ↗Homo sapiens

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word comes from the Greek 'homos' (ὁμός), meaning 'same' or 'identical.' Its path into English passed through Latin, where Linnaeus adopted Homo as the genus name for humans in his 1758 Systema Naturae — 'Homo sapiens' literally means 'wise human.' The offensive slur emerged in the 20th century as a shortened form of 'homosexual,' itself built from the Greek 'homos' + Latin 'sexualis.' The two senses of the word therefore share a Greek root but diverged through completely different historical routes: one through scientific taxonomy, the other through social prejudice.

First known use

1591

1591, in the meaning defined above Noun (2)