What does the “sapiens” in homo sapiens mean?

Homo sapiens, (Latin: "homo" - "man", "sapiens"- “wise”) is the species to which all modern human beings belong. Homo sapiens is one of several species grouped into the genus Homo but it is the only one that is not extinct.

Anatomically, modern humans can generally be characterized by the lighter build of their skeletons compared to earlier humans. Modern humans have very large brains, which vary in size from population to population and between males and females but the average size is approximately 1300 cubic centimeters. Housing this big brain involved the reorganization of the skull into what is thought of as "modern" - a thin-walled, high vaulted skull with a flat and near vertical forehead. Modern human faces also show much less (if any) of the heavy brow ridges and prognathism of other early humans. Our jaws are also less heavily developed, with smaller teeth.