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chimpanzee
[ chim-pan-zee, chim-pan-zee ]
/ ˌtʃɪm pænˈzi, tʃɪmˈpæn zi /
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noun
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.
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Origin of chimpanzee
First recorded in 1730–40; origin uncertain; possibly from Vili , a Bantu language spoken on the Atlantic coast between southern Gabon and northern Angola
Words nearby chimpanzee
chimney swallow, chimney sweep, chimney swift, chimney wheel, chimp, chimpanzee, Chimu, chin, china, China aster, china bark
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use chimpanzee in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for chimpanzee
chimpanzee
/ (ˌtʃɪmpænˈziː) /
noun
a gregarious and intelligent anthropoid ape, Pan troglodytes, inhabiting forests in central W Africa
Word Origin for chimpanzee
C18: from Kongo dialect
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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