hominine: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Scientific/Academic
Quick answer
What does “hominine” mean?
Relating to or resembling a human.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Relating to or resembling a human.
In zoological and anthropological classification, relating to the subfamily Homininae, which includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and their extinct ancestors.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant usage differences. The term is uniformly technical in both dialects.
Connotations
Purely scientific, with a formal, precise connotation.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in everyday language; used almost exclusively in palaeoanthropology, evolutionary biology, and related academic fields.
Grammar
How to Use “hominine” in a Sentence
hominine + noun (e.g., hominine fossils)early/late + hominineadjective + hominine (e.g., fossil hominine)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “hominine” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The fossil exhibited several distinct hominine characteristics.
- Debate continues about the hominine status of this ancient primate.
American English
- The discovery pushed back the date for hominine evolution in Africa.
- Researchers compared the hominine and pongine skeletal structures.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Core term in anthropology and evolutionary biology to discuss human ancestry and characteristics within the primate family.
Everyday
Virtually never used. 'Human-like' is the common equivalent.
Technical
Precise taxonomic term for members of the subfamily Homininae; crucial for differentiating between human and chimpanzee/gorilla lineages vs. orangutan lineages (Ponginae).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “hominine”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “hominine”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “hominine”
- Using it as a general synonym for 'human' in non-scientific writing.
- Mispronouncing it as /ˈhəʊ.mɪ.naɪn/ (like 'home').
- Confusing 'hominine' (subfamily) with 'hominin' (tribe Hominini, which excludes gorillas).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
These are nested taxonomic ranks. 'Hominid' (family Hominidae) includes all great apes. 'Hominine' (subfamily Homininae) includes humans, chimps, and gorillas. 'Hominin' (tribe Hominini) includes humans and our extinct ancestors after the split from the chimpanzee lineage.
While its literal meaning allows this, it is highly technical and will sound odd in everyday conversation. Use 'human-like' instead for general descriptions.
No, it is a very low-frequency word restricted to specialised academic and scientific discourse, particularly in palaeoanthropology.
In British English: /ˈhɒm.ɪ.naɪn/ (HOM-in-ine). In American English: /ˈhɑː.mə.naɪn/ (HAH-muh-nine). The stress is on the first syllable.
Relating to or resembling a human.
Hominine is usually scientific/academic in register.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'HOMInine' as related to 'HOMInid' and 'HOMO sapiens' – all concerning humans and our closest relatives.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE TREE OF LIFE (as a branch on the evolutionary tree).
Practice
Quiz
In modern biological taxonomy, which group is included in the subfamily Homininae?