gibbon

¹ American  

[gib-uhn] / ˈgɪb ən /

noun

1. any of the small arboreal apes of the East Indies and southern Asia that belong to the four genera of the family Hylobatidae (the lesser apes), displaying strong territorial behavior with vigorous vocalization and having wrists much like ball-and-socket joints: all species are reduced in number, and most are endangered.

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Gibbon ² American  

[gib-uhn] / ˈgɪb ən /

noun

1. Edward, 1737–94, English historian.

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Gibbon ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɪbən /

noun

1. Edward. 1737–94, English historian; author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776–88), controversial in its historical criticism of Christianity

2. Lewis Grassic (ˈɡræsɪk), real name James Leslie Mitchell . 1901–35, Scottish writer: best known for his trilogy of novels Scots Quair (1932–34)

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gibbon ² British  

/ ˈɡɪbən /

noun

1. any small agile arboreal anthropoid ape of the genus Hylobates, inhabiting forests in S Asia

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Etymology

Origin of gibbon

First recorded in 1760–70; from French, used by Georges Buffon; further origin uncertain

Example Sentences

The virus, according to a report in Nature, was first isolated in 1945 from a gibbon in Florida.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

Skywalker gibbon couples wake up each morning and sing to each other, their voices echoing across the forest canopy of their home.

From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2024

The park has held off on an expansion of its gibbon pen, a big project that would have given the playful primates more space, but would have also required taking out a loan.

From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2023

Specifically, “Gibbon: Beyond the Trees” became a rescue mission to save a young gibbon, the latter an addition that came solely via the team’s research.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2022

Professor Owen, who is likewise a musician, confirms the foregoing statement, and remarks that this gibbon “alone of brute mammals may be said to sing.”

From The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex Volume II (1st Edition) by Darwin, Charles