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Definition of sapiens

sapiens

/ˈseɪpiənz/
sa · pi · ens
Adverb:sapiently
•
Plural:sapiens
•
Adjective:sapient
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sapiens Lexical Profile

sapiens Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

An anatomically modern human being belonging to the hominid species Homo sapiens, native to Africa and now distributed globally, characterized by a large brain, bipedal locomotion, and advanced capacity for language and culture.

Example

"Anthropologists analyzed the ancient stone tools to determine how early sapiens adapted to the harsh glacial climate."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for sapiens

Word Nuance & Usage

'Sapiens' functions morphologically as an invariant form in English, serving as both the singular and plural noun as well as the specific epithet in the binomial 'Homo sapiens'.

• Nearby Words

sao tome and principe
sao tome cobra
sap
sapiens
sapling
sapodilla
saponaria

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed directly from the Latin 'sapiens' (meaning 'wise', 'sensible', or 'judicious'), the present participle of 'sapere' ('to taste' or 'to be wise'), introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as the species epithet for 'Homo sapiens'.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Sapiens. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/sapiens
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