bonobo
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bonobo
First recorded in 1950–55; origin uncertain; probably from a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Explanation
A bonobo is an African ape that's slightly smaller than a chimpanzee. Known for being timid and peaceful, bonobo groups are also matriarchal, led by females. Along with chimpanzees, bonobos are our closest relatives, sharing 98.7 percent of their DNA with humans. These apes are native to a small region in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where their existence is threatened by deforestation and poaching. Bonobo most likely derives from a misspelling of the Congolese town of Bolobo printed on a shipping crate. Before being recognized as a separate species and given a distinct name, they were called pygmy chimpanzees.
Vocabulary lists containing bonobo
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Similar findings were also reported in another study with a bonobo, in which the bonobo was also able to synchronize its drum beats to a human in the experiment.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
By contrast, Berthet notes that bonobo communication focuses mostly on getting the group together.
From Salon ● May 29, 2025
"It could be this that creates the positive effect they have on bonobo abundance."
From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024
Primary forest cover is the main predictor for bonobo occurrence, while proximity to villages negatively impacts their presence.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024
Female common chimpanzees cannot take lessons from their bonobo relatives and stage a feminist revolution.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
"Comparing bonobos and chimpanzees - our two closest relatives - offers fascinating insight into the evolutionary roots of social behaviour and how they, and we, manage tension, competition and cooperation," said Dr Jake Brooker.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The researchers say the use of touch to build trust and cooperation may date back at least seven million years, before humans, chimpanzees and bonobos split from a common ancestor.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Humans, chimps and bonobos share a common ancestor going back 7 million years or so.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2026
By looking at chimps, which along with bonobos are humans' closest living relatives, perhaps we "can help confirm some of the hypotheses about how those really early hominins, or bipedal apes, behaved", Pruetz said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
I wish I could have explained it to them, but explanations were something the bonobos had no way to understand.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
