Homo sapiens is used to refer to modern human beings as a species, in contrast to other species of ape or animal, or earlier forms of human.
[technical]
What distinguishes homo sapiens from every other living creature is the mind.
Homo sapiens in British English
(ˈsæpɪˌɛnz)
noun
the specific name of modern man; the only extant species of the genus Homo. This species also includes extinct types of primitive man such as Cro-Magnon man
See also man (sense 5)
Word origin
New Latin, from Latin homo man + sapiens wise
Homo sapiens in American English
(ˈhoumou ˈseipi ənz)
noun
1. (italics)
the species of bipedal primates to which modern humans belong, characterized by a brain capacity averaging 1400 cc (85 cubic in.) and by dependence upon language and the creation and utilization of complex tools