Ardipithecus

noun

Ar·​di·​pi·​the·​cus ˌär-də-ˈpi-thə-kəs 

-pə-ˈthē-

: a genus of extinct early hominids known from skeletal remains from northeastern Ethiopia that includes two identified species (A. ramidus and A. kadabba) having a grasping big toe and capable of some form of upright walking

The Ardipithecus genus is a group that lived between 5.8 and 4.3 million years ago.

—Charles Lockwood, The Human Story, 2008

Originally placed in Australopithecus, Ardipithecus is a genus represented by an accumulating number of specimens from sites like Aramis in the Middle Awash region of Ethiopia.

—Holly M. Dunsworth, Human Origins 101, 2007

—sometimes used as a general name for hominids of this genus

Its wrists, elbows, feet, and hands suggest that Ardipithecus clambered about in trees by putting weight on the hands.

—Jon Cohen, Almost Chimpanzee, 2010

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, from Afar ard, ardi "earth, land, ground" (borrowed from Arabic arḍ) + New Latin -pithecus -pithecus

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

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