Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A genus of extinct hominins known from fossil remains found in eastern and southern Africa dating from 2.8 to 1.4 million years ago, characterized by very large molars and a large sagittal crest in the male. Several species in this genus were first classified in the genus Australopithecus.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A taxonomic genus within the subfamily Homininae — a group of extinct bipedal hominids.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun former classification for Australopithecus robustus

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[New Latin Paranthrōpus, genus name : Greek para-, para- + Greek anthrōpos, human being.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek  (para, "beside") +  (anthropos, "human")

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Examples

  • Whether the fossil belongs to the genus Australopithecus along with its smaller cousins, Australopithecus afarensis and A. africanus, or deserves to be part of a separate genus called Paranthropus along with other large hominid species like Paranthropus robustus has been the subject of debate.

    Zinj and the Leakeys 2009

  • The names Australopithecus boisei and Australopithecus afarensis may refer to two so totally different taxa that the name Paranthropus is used by some for the former, while the latter is retained in a genus with A. africanus.

    A TV show that might not suck - The Panda's Thumb 2005

  • Clarke talks about the use of the name Paranthropus and the generic separation it denotes as having "well-known and long-standing support."

    Cryptomundo 2008

  • Paranthropus robustus and suggested that the name Paranthropus eldurrelli be used for the Bigfoot of the Pacific Northwest.

    Cryptomundo 2008

  • Paranthropus robustus and suggested that the name Paranthropus eldurrelli be used for the Bigfoot of the Pacific Northwest.

    Cryptomundo 2008

  • It turns out that the early human known as Paranthropus boisei did not eat nuts but dined more heavily on grasses than any other human ancestor or human relative studied to date.

    Study: Ancient 'Nutcracker Man' really ate grass 2011

  • From left to right we've got Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and Australopithecus -- now called Paranthropus boisei, the robust australopithecine.

    Spencer Wells builds a family tree for humanity Spencer Wells 2007

  • From left to right we've got Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and Australopithecus -- now called Paranthropus boisei, the robust australopithecine.

    Spencer Wells builds a family tree for humanity Spencer Wells 2007

  • From left to right we've got Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and Australopithecus -- now called Paranthropus boisei, the robust australopithecine.

    Spencer Wells builds a family tree for humanity Spencer Wells 2007

  • Prior to this discovery, they had unearthed several skulls, upper and lower jawbones, and other skeletal remains from the robust australopithecine Broom called Paranthropus crassidens—the creature that bore the most resemblance to Zinj.

    Ancestral Passions Virginia Morell 1995

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