gibbon

¹

[ gib-uhn ]

noun

1. any of the small arboreal apes of the East Indies and southern Asia that belong to the four genera of the family Hylobatidae (the lesser apes), displaying strong territorial behavior with vigorous vocalization and having wrists much like ball-and-socket joints: all species are reduced in number, and most are endangered.

Gibbon

²

[ gib-uhn ]

noun

1. Edward, 1737–94, English historian.

Gibbon

¹

/ ˈɡɪbən /

noun

1. GibbonEdward17371794MEnglishHISTORY: historian Edward. 1737–94, English historian; author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776–88), controversial in its historical criticism of Christianity
2. GibbonLewis Grassic19011935MScottishWRITING: writer Lewis Grassic (ˈɡræsɪk), real name James Leslie Mitchell . 1901–35, Scottish writer: best known for his trilogy of novels Scots Quair (1932–34)

gibbon

²

/ ˈɡɪbən /

noun

1. any small agile arboreal anthropoid ape of the genus Hylobates, inhabiting forests in S Asia

Word History and Origins

Origin of gibbon¹

First recorded in 1760–70; from French, used by Georges Buffon; further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of gibbon¹

C18: from French, probably from an Indian dialect word

Example Sentences

Environmentalists have warned that as the capital expands, it may spill over into the habitats of endangered species such as proboscis monkeys, orangutans and gibbons.

From Los Angeles Times

Orangutans and gibbons are tailless apes that still live in trees.

From Seattle Times

The ancestors of the Lufengpithecus did not move anything like this — their locomotion was more analogous to what we see today among gibbons in Asia — and humans developed their bipedalism afterward.

From Salon

Skywalker gibbon couples wake up each morning and sing to each other, their voices echoing across the forest canopy of their home.

From Science Daily

"Most fossil apes and their inferred ancestors are intermediate in locomotor mode between gibbons and African apes," adds Ni.

From Science Daily