Propliopithecusn.
/prəʊˌplʌɪəʊˈpɪθᵻkəs/, /ˌprəʊplɪəˈpɪθᵻkəs/, U.S. /proʊˌplaɪoʊˈpɪθəkəs/, /ˌproʊpliəˈpɪθəkəs/ Palaeontology.
An extinct ape-like primate of the genus Propliopithecus, known from early Oligocene fossil remains found in the Fayum Depression of Egypt, and dated to about 35 million years ago. Also: the genus itself. Cf. Aegyptopithecus n.Formerly thought to be a primitive ape, Propliopithecus is now regarded as an early catarrhine from before the differentiation of apes and Old World monkeys.
ΚΠ
1910 Amer. Naturalist 44 700 If the author had stated that the Oligocene ancestor of man probably had lower teeth like those of Propliopithecus, the conclusion might well be accepted.
1959 Life 19 Oct. 103/1 (caption) Man's family tree shows how human, ape and monkey branches may have derived from common ancestor, Propliopithecus.
2004 K. C. Beard Hunt for Dawn Monkey iv. 92 Its apelike cheek teeth and stoutly constructed lower canines made Propliopithecus a credible ancestor of living and fossil apes and humans alike.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1910