Swartkranz ape-man

noun

Swart·​kranz ape-man
variants or Swartkrans man
ˈsfärtˌkränz,
ˈsvä-
: a large extinct southern African australopithecine (Homo erectus capensis) known from skulls, teeth, and other fossil skeletal remains and having a flat face and brow with weak supraorbital crest, a well-developed sagittal crest, a distinctly manlike jaw and teeth, and a brain capacity surpassing that of any recent ape and possibly that of Java man compare kromdraai ape-man

Word History

Etymology

from Swartkranz or Swartkrans, region near Johannesburg, South Africa, where the remains were found

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Cite this Entry

“Swartkranz ape-man.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Swartkranz%20ape-man. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

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