Pongidae

American

[pon-ji-dee] / ˈpɒn dʒɪ di /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

the primate family comprising gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans: no longer used in taxonomy, it is subsumed by the family Hominidae, which includes humans.

Etymology

Origin of Pongidae

First recorded in 1910–15; from New Latin Pongidae, equivalent to Pong(o), type genus (said to be from Kongo mpongi, mpungu “ape”) + -idae see origin at -idae

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:

Pongidae

Only about 240 survivors of this subspecies of the Pongidae family remain.

From Time Magazine Archive

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023