Hominid

Hominid

A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the "great apes"), including the extinct and extant humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. This classification has been revised several times in the last few decades. These various revisions have led to a varied use of the word "hominid": the original meaning of Hominidae referred only to the modern meaning of Hominina, i.e. only humans and their closest relatives. The meaning of the taxon changed gradually, leading to the modern meaning of "hominid," which includes all great apes.

The primatological term hominid is easily confused with a number of very similar words:
* A hominoid or ape is a member of the superfamily "Hominoidea": extant members are the lesser apes (gibbons) and great apes.
* A hominid is a member of the family "Hominidae": all of the great apes.
* A hominine is a member of the subfamily "Homininae": gorillas, chimpanzees, humans (excludes orangutans).
* A hominin is a member of the tribe "Hominini": chimpanzees and humans.
* A hominan is a member of the sub-tribe "Hominina": modern humans and their extinct relatives.
* A human is a member of "Homo sapiens". The word is sometimes also used to refer to any extinct member of the genus "Homo" or members from other hominan genera.
* A humanoid is a vaguely human-shaped entity; the term is typically used in science fiction.

Certain morphological characteristics are still used conventionally to support the idea that hominid should only denote humans and human ancestors, namely bipedalism (walking on two feet) and large brains. These points of departure between human beings and the other great apes are important, but according to genetically based taxonomic classification, are not enough to divide us into separate families. Genetics, rather than morphology, is more widely accepted as the critical standard. Many scientists, including anthropologists, use the term hominid to mean humans and their direct and near-direct bipedal ancestors.


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  • hominid — HOMINÍD, hominizi, s.m. (La pl.) Familie de primate cuprinzând omul şi precursorii săi fosili din perioada cuaternară (Hominidae); (şi la sg.) reprezentant al acestei familii. – Din fr. hominides. Trimis de gall, 16.10.2007. Sursa: DEX 98 … …   Dicționar Român

  • hominid — (n.) 1889, family of mammals represented by man, from Mod.L. Hominidæ the biological family name, coined 1825 from L. homo (gen. hominis) man (see HOMUNCULUS (Cf. homunculus)). As an adjective from 1915 …   Etymology dictionary

  • hominid — ► NOUN Zoology ▪ a member of a family of primates which includes humans and their fossil ancestors. ORIGIN from Latin homo man …   English terms dictionary

  • hominid — [häm′ə nid] n. [< ModL Hominidae < L homo (gen. hominis): see HOMO1 & IDAE] any of a family (Hominidae) of two legged primates including all forms of humans, extinct and living …   English World dictionary

  • hominid — hominian hominian, hominid hominid . Any animal of the family {Hominidae}, including modern man as well as extinct species of the genera {Homo} and {Australopithecus}. Syn: homonid. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Hominid — Menschenaffen Systematik Überordnung: Euarchontoglires Ordnung: Primaten (Primates) Unterordnung: Trockennasenaffen (Haplorhini) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • hominid — UK [ˈhɒmɪnɪd] / US [ˈhɑmənɪd] noun [countable] Word forms hominid : singular hominid plural hominids a human, or an ancient creature from which humans developed …   English dictionary

  • hominid — hominian hominian hominid hominidadj. characterizing the family {Hominidae}, which includes {Homo sapiens} sapiens as well as extinct species of manlike creatures. [Narrower terms: {human (vs. nonhuman) ] WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • hominid — noun Etymology: New Latin Hominidae, from Homin , Homo + idae Date: circa 1889 any of a family (Hominidae) of erect bipedal primate mammals comprising recent humans together with extinct ancestral and related forms • hominid adjective …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Hominid — Ho|mi|nid, der; en, en, (häufiger:) Ho|mi|ni|de, der; n, n [zu lat. homo, ↑ 1Homo u. griech. eide̅̓s = gestaltig] (Biol.): Vertreter einer Familie von Lebewesen, die aus dem heutigen Menschen u. seinen Vorläufern sowie den Menschenaffen besteht.… …   Universal-Lexikon

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