primate

American  

[prahy-meyt, prahy-mit] / ˈpraɪ meɪt, ˈpraɪ mɪt /

noun

• primates
  plural

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.

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primate ¹ British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the order Primates

primate ² British  

/ ˈpraɪmeɪt /

noun

1. another name for archbishop

2. the Archbishop of Canterbury

3. the Archbishop of York

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primate Scientific  

/ prī′māt′ /

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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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• primatal
  adjective
• primatial
  adjective
• primatical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• primates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of primate

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 ; see origin at prime, Primates, -ate ¹

Explanation

A primate is a monkey, ape, human, or other similar mammal. You've probably visited the primate house at the zoo. When you see the word primate, you probably think of monkeys. A monkey is just one example of a primate, though — lemurs are primates too, and so are gibbons, and even people. The things we all have in common are large brains, opposable thumbs, bendy toes, and good eyesight. The Latin word primas, or "first," is the root of primate, which scientists sometimes call "the highest order of mammals."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

primate primates

The primate species that are with us today are descended from these highly mobile ancestors.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

As an ecologist who has studied chimpanzees and lemurs in the field in Uganda and Madagascar, I am fascinated by the environments that shaped our primate ancestors.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

An average primate also has a much tougher time than an average bird adapting to cities, the most complex environments on earth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

In fact, Mr. Lefebvre notes many striking similarities between avian and primate intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

One theory is that our brains evolved because our primate ancestors began to engage in more sophisticated food gathering: instead of just eating grasses and leaves they began eating fruit, which takes more thinking power.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

The experts looked at several studies, including one which showed that three out of four non-human primates vaccinated with Ervebo survived Bundibugyo, compared with one out of four control animals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

The charity fears the abandonment could be the first of many following legislation introduced in April which requires all primates kept as pets in England to be licensed.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The results were especially encouraging in nonhuman primates, whose liver biology and gut microbiota more closely resemble those of humans.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

Humans are social primates, and our perceptions of what’s normal or desirable are shaped by those around us.

From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026

More important, a specific part of the brain of humans and other primates — the region known as the neocortex, which deals with complex thought and reasoning — is huge by mammal standards.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell