chimpanzee

[chim-pan-zee, chim-pan-zee]

noun

1. a very social great ape of sub-Saharan Africa, belonging to the genus Pan and having a brown-to-black coat, a relatively hairless face with a rounded muzzle, prominent ears, and hands adapted for knuckle-walking, and noted for its intelligence and humanlike behavior: both species, the common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes ) and the bonobo (P. paniscus ), are greatly reduced in number and considered endangered.

chimpanzee

/ ˌtʃɪmpænˈziː /

noun

1. a gregarious and intelligent anthropoid ape, Pan troglodytes, inhabiting forests in central W Africa

Word History and Origins

Origin of chimpanzee¹

First recorded in 1730–40; origin uncertain; possibly from Vili , a Bantu language spoken on the Atlantic coast between southern Gabon and northern Angola

Word History and Origins

Origin of chimpanzee¹

C18: from Kongo dialect

Example Sentences

It is still unknown whether chimpanzees deliberately choose fruits with higher ethanol levels, which tend to be riper and richer in sugar that can ferment.

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Their focus was on monkeys and apes that evolved in Africa, Europe, and Asia, including chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans.

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“My heavens! You have chimpanzees, and panthers, and baboons, and even a hippopotamus. Nutsawoo will be thrilled.”

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A new study published in Science presents compelling evidence that chimpanzees can revise their beliefs in a rational way when they encounter new information.

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These early humans are thought to have lived alongside their evolutionary ancestors: a pre-human group, called australopithecines, who had larger teeth and a mix of chimpanzee and human traits.

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Related Words

• ape 
• baboon 
• gorilla 
• lemur 
• orangutan