dryopithecine

noun

dryo·​pith·​e·​cine ˌdrī-ō-ˈpi-thə-ˌsīn 

: any of a subfamily (Dryopithecinae) of Miocene and Pliocene Old World anthropoid apes sometimes regarded as ancestors of both humans and modern anthropoids

dryopithecine adjective

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Greek drys tree + pithēkos ape

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above