hominid
/ˈhɒmɪnɪd/
noun
Origin
Latin
homo — man, human being
Overview
Meaning Now
- A primate of the family Hominidae, which includes modern humans, extinct human species, and all great apes.
Literal older meaning
man-like (derived from Latin 'homo')
Language path
Latin → New Latin → English
Earliest form
Hominidae
Earliest period
19th century
Journey
The term reflects the 19th-century scientific effort to classify humanity within the broader primate order, specifically emphasizing our biological relationship to great apes.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*dʰǵʰemon-
“earthling, human”
Derived from *dʰǵʰem- (earth).
- Classical Latin
homo
“man, human being”
- New Latin (Taxonomy)
Hominidae
“The family of humans and great apes”
Formed with suffix -idae denoting a biological family.
- Modern English
hominid
“member of the Hominidae”
Back-formation from the taxonomic Hominidae.
Connections
Word parts
homin-
root
human
-id
suffix
denoting a member of a group
Related across languages
French
hominidé
hominid
German
Hominide
hominid
Explore next
Related to hominid
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.