sapiens

Everyday

1. (Latin) «Sapiens» means «wise» or «knowing»; it is the second part of the scientific name of modern humans, Homo sapiens, meaning «wise human». tree →
2. (informal) Used alone to mean modern humans: «early sapiens». It is not an ordinary English word. tree →

In the lessons

In science and history lessons Homo sapiens are modern humans, who appeared in Africa about 300,000 years ago. Other kinds of humans, such as Neanderthals, are named Homo neanderthalensis. Phrases: «Homo sapiens», «early Homo sapiens».

Examples

• Humans belong to the species Homo sapiens. tree →
• «Sapiens» is Latin for wise. tree →
• Homo sapiens first lived in Africa. tree →
• Neanderthals lived at the same time as early Homo sapiens. tree →
• Scientific names like Homo sapiens are written in italics. tree →
• The museum shows a skull of an early sapiens. tree →

Note

Latin. The «s» at the end is not a plural; «Homo sapiens» is both singular and plural. Write «Homo» with a capital and «sapiens» with a small letter. Pronounced «SAP-ee-enz».