simian

[ sim-ee-uhn ]
See synonyms for simian on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of the monkeys or apes, classified into two subdivisions, the platyrrhines (New World monkeys) and the catarrhines (Old World monkeys and apes, including humans).: See also haplorhine.

  2. Disparaging and Offensive. (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

adjective
  1. of or relating to any of the monkeys or apes.

  2. characteristic of apes or monkeys: long, simian fingers.

  1. Disparaging and Offensive. (used to describe a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

Origin of simian

1
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin sīmi(a) “an ape,” probably from the Greek nickname and personal name Sīmiās (derivative of sīmus “flat-nosed, snub-nosed,” from Greek sīmós ) + -an adjective suffix; see -an

usage note For simian

Other words from simian

  • sim·i·an·i·ty [sim-ee-an-i-tee], /ˌsɪm iˈæn ɪ ti/, noun
  • sub·sim·i·an, adjective

Words Nearby simian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use simian in a sentence

  • Do you think that the unrestrained performance of Jazz-music conduces to the moral betterment of the simian proletariat?

  • About that God he writes his first paragraph, untroubled by any simian suspicions.

    Great Ralegh | Hugh De Selincourt
  • Up the ladder scrambled, simian in agility, a tall and wiry man of middle age.

    Cursed | George Allan England

British Dictionary definitions for simian

simian

/ (ˈsɪmɪən) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or resembling a monkey or ape: Also (rare): simious (ˈsɪmɪəs)

noun
  1. a monkey or ape

Origin of simian

1
C17: from Latin sīmia an ape, probably from sīmus flat-nosed, from Greek sīmos

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

Scientific definitions for simian

simian

[ sĭmē-ən ]


Adjective
  1. Resembling or characteristic of apes or monkeys.

Noun
  1. An ape or monkey. Ther term simian is no longer used in scientific contexts. Compare prosimian.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.