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View synonyms for primate

primate

[ prahy-meyt prahy-mit ]

noun

  1. Ecclesiastical. an archbishop or bishop ranking first among the bishops of a province or country.
  2. Anthropology, Zoology. any of various worldwide omnivorous mammals of the order Primates, comprising, by modern classification, two suborders, the strepsirrhines (lemurs, lorises, and their allies) and the haplorhines (tarsiers, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, and apes, including humans), especially distinguished by the use of hands, varied locomotion, and complex behavior involving a high level of social interaction and cultural adaptability: many primates are strictly arboreal, but even among the numerous terrestrial species, some arboreal behavior is common.
  3. Archaic. a chief or leader.


primate

1

/ praɪˈmeɪʃəl; ˈpraɪmeɪt /

noun

  1. any placental mammal of the order Primates, typically having flexible hands and feet with opposable first digits, good eyesight, and, in the higher apes, a highly developed brain: includes lemurs, lorises, monkeys, apes, and man
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or belonging to the order Primates
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

primate

2

/ ˈpraɪmeɪt /

noun

  1. another name for archbishop
  2. Primate of all England
    the Archbishop of Canterbury
  3. Primate of England
    the Archbishop of York
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

primate

/ prīmāt′ /

  1. Any of various mammals of the order Primates, having a highly developed brain, eyes facing forward, a shortened nose and muzzle, and opposable thumbs. Primates usually live in groups with complex social systems, and their high intelligence allows them to adapt their behavior successfully to different environments. Lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans are primates.


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Derived Forms

  • primatial, adjective
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Other Words From

  • pri·matal adjective noun
  • pri·ma·tial [prahy-, mey, -sh, uh, l], pri·mat·i·cal [prahy-, mat, -i-k, uh, l], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of primate1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French primat “dignitary, religious leader, archbishop,” from Late Latin prīmāt- (stem of prīmās ), noun use of Latin prīmās “of first rank, principal, chief,” derivative of prīmus “first”; primate ( def 2 ) taken as singular of New Latin Primātēs, name of the taxonomic order; -ate as if from the suffix -ate ; prime, Primates, -ate 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of primate1

C18: from New Latin primates, plural of prīmās principal, from prīmus first

Origin of primate2

C13: from Old French, from Latin prīmās principal, from prīmus first
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Example Sentences

Later, at the Missouri Primate Foundation, he lived in a cage alongside other chimps but interacted more with the humans who fed him food like Powerade, french fries and doughnuts.

That’s when things started heating up at the Missouri Primate Foundation.

Haddix told them the missing primate, Tonka, had died on May 30 from heart failure.

She later rebranded it to Missouri Primate Foundation and made it a non-profit, but it remained a chimp mill until a friend of Casey’s reached out to PETA.

From Salon

The reason these bumps are vestigial, and I’m not shopping for a bra with six cups, has to do with changes among our prehistoric primate ancestors.

From Slate

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primary xylemPrimate of All England