What does hominid mean?
A hominid is a member of the family Hominidae, the biological group that includes humans and the great apes, such as gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos. The term is especially common in discussions of evolution, anatomy, palaeontology, and the evolutionary relationships among these animals. Its precise meaning has changed over time: earlier writers sometimes used it for an early human-like ancestor or for members of the human lineage, whereas modern classification uses it more broadly for the entire family. This distinction matters because a hominid need not be a direct human ancestor; it may instead be a living great ape or another member of the same broader family. The closely related term hominin is more specific, referring to humans and extinct relatives closer to humans than to chimpanzees. Thus, “hominid” is useful when discussing the wider ape family, while “hominin” is preferable when the focus is specifically on human ancestry.
nounA member of the family Hominidae, comprising humans and the great apes. In modern biological classification, the term includes humans as well as gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and their relatives.
- Any member of the family Hominidae, including humans and the great apes.
- Historically, a member of the human lineage or an extinct human-like ape, especially in discussions of human evolution.
"The discovery suggested that the early hominid shared a common ancestor with modern chimpanzees."
"The museum displays the skull of an extinct hominid alongside fossils of other early apes."
"Molecular evidence shows that humans and other hominids share a common ancestry."
The usual plural of hominid.
"The researchers compared several hominids from different regions and geological periods."
Hominids are not just human ancestors: the word includes humans and all living great apes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hominid come from?
The word hominid was formed in the scientific vocabulary of biological classification from the Latin homō, hominis, meaning “man” or “human being,” together with the taxonomic suffix -id, ultimately associated with Greek -idēs. The Latin element also underlies human, Homo, and hominin. These related terms reflect the historical tendency to describe the human family using the Latin word for “man,” although modern biological usage distinguishes the broader family Hominidae from the narrower human-lineage group Hominini.
Related word forms
How hominid is actually used
In current biological usage, hominid means a member of Hominidae and therefore includes all great apes. In older or specialized evolutionary contexts, it may be used more narrowly for members of the human lineage, but that usage can cause confusion with the distinct term hominin.
Easily confused with hominid
A hominid belongs to the broader family that includes humans and all great apes, whereas a hominin is specifically a member of the human lineage, including humans and extinct close human relatives.
A human is a member of Homo sapiens and of the human lineage, while a hominid may also be one of the other great apes.