noun
sapiens
Sapiens (noun) means a human being, as in the species name Homo sapiens. Example: “Modern sapiens emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago.”
noun
1
A human being, as in the species name Homo sapiens.
"Even if we assume that the rate of change was slow and the evolving population large, we must still assume that sapiens was rather isolated."
— Sherwood L. Washburn, Classification and Human Evolution (2005)
"Modern sapiens emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago."
"The earliest sapiens were gatherers, scavengers, and hunters of food."
— William H. Libaw, How we got to be human: subjective minds with objective bodies (2000)
How to use sapiens
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA shorthand way of referring to modern humans, taken from our scientific name.
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Word forms
- Plural
- sapientes
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Modern _____ emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago.
Etymology
From Latin "sapiens," meaning "wise" or "discerning," the present participle of "sapere," to know.
Frequently asked questions
What does “sapiens” mean?
The word “sapiens” means a human being, as in the species name Homo sapiens. In plain terms, a shorthand way of referring to modern humans, taken from our scientific name.
How do you use “sapiens” in a sentence?
Here is “sapiens” used in a sentence: “Modern sapiens emerged in Africa roughly 300,000 years ago.”
What part of speech is “sapiens”?
“Sapiens” is a noun.
Where does the word “sapiens” come from?
The word “sapiens” comes from Latin. From Latin "sapiens," meaning "wise" or "discerning," the present participle of "sapere," to know.
