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Pith·e·can·thro·pus

(pĭth′ĭ-kănthrə-pəs, -kăn-thrōpəs)

An extinct hominin known from fossil remains discovered in Java in 1891 and originally designated Pithecanthropus erectus because it was thought to represent a species evolutionarily intermediate between humans and nonhuman apes. Pithecanthropus is now classified as Homo erectus. It is sometimes referred to as Java man.

[New Latin Pithēcanthrōpus, former genus name : Greek pithēkos, ape + Greek anthrōpos, human being.]

pith′e·can·thropic (-kən-thrŏpĭk) adj.

pith′e·canthro·pine (-kănthrə-pīn′) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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