Pongidae

[pon-ji-dee]

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Pongidae¹

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

Example Sentences

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

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