primate

American  

[prahy-mayt, 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  

/ 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

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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

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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

Socialization is the essence of the primate brain too.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sudmant currently maintains cell cultures from numerous primate species and is using them to investigate the genetics of longevity and the relationship between lifespan and DNA repair genes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

The work brought together numerous collaborators and involved nonhuman primates at both the Oregon and California national primate research centers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 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

If you look at any species of primate — at every variety of monkey and ape — the larger their neocortex is, the larger the average size of the groups they live with.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

But here’s your daily reminder that humans are primates whose still-evolving brains are exponentially outpaced by technological advancement.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026

The rocks of the Santiago Formation have also produced early saber-toothed carnivores and primates, El Adli said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

"Maternal age effects are incredibly common, from invertebrates up through humans, elephants, other primates and other mammals," said Kristin Gribble, an associate scientist in the Bay Paul Center at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

In recent years, customs officials have repeatedly intercepted passengers arriving from south-east Asia with live reptiles, birds and primates concealed in their luggage.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

There is some preliminary, still fragmentary evidence for important pheromones in primates.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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