primate

American  

[prahy-mayt, prahy-mit] / ˈpraɪ meɪt, ˈpraɪ mɪt /

noun

• primates
  plural

1. Ecclesiastical. an archbishop or bishop ranking first among the bishops of a province or country.

2. Anthropology, Zoology. any of various worldwide omnivorous mammals of the order Primates, comprising, by modern classification, two suborders, the strepsirrhines (lemurs, lorises, and their allies) and the haplorhines (tarsiers, New World monkeys, Old World monkeys, and apes, including humans), especially distinguished by the use of hands, varied locomotion, and complex behavior involving a high level of social interaction and cultural adaptability: many primates are strictly arboreal, but even among the numerous terrestrial species, some arboreal behavior is common.

3. Archaic. a chief or leader.

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primate ¹ British  

/ ˈpraɪmeɪt /

noun

1. any placental mammal of the order Primates, typically having flexible hands and feet with opposable first digits, good eyesight, and, in the higher apes, a highly developed brain: includes lemurs, lorises, monkeys, apes, and man

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the order Primates

primate ² British  

/ ˈpraɪmeɪt /

noun

1. another name for archbishop

2. the Archbishop of Canterbury

3. the Archbishop of York

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primate Scientific  

/ prī′māt′ /

1. Any of various mammals of the order Primates, having a highly developed brain, eyes facing forward, a shortened nose and muzzle, and opposable thumbs. Primates usually live in groups with complex social systems, and their high intelligence allows them to adapt their behavior successfully to different environments. Lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans are primates.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• primatal
  adjective
• primatial
  adjective
• primatical
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• primates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of primate

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French primat “dignitary, religious leader, archbishop,” from Late Latin prīmāt- (stem of prīmās ), noun use of Latin prīmās “of first rank, principal, chief,” derivative of prīmus “first”; primate ( def. 2 ) taken as singular of New Latin Primātēs, name of the taxonomic order; -ate as if from the suffix -ate ; see origin at prime, Primates, -ate ¹

Explanation

A primate is a monkey, ape, human, or other similar mammal. You've probably visited the primate house at the zoo. When you see the word primate, you probably think of monkeys. A monkey is just one example of a primate, though — lemurs are primates too, and so are gibbons, and even people. The things we all have in common are large brains, opposable thumbs, bendy toes, and good eyesight. The Latin word primas, or "first," is the root of primate, which scientists sometimes call "the highest order of mammals."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

primate primates

As many primate species face threats from human activities, cultural behaviors and the maintenance of rich cultural repertoires can help them adapt to environmental changes and provide support for conservation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

If we are to conserve primate species today, we need to know how they are threatened and how they will react to those threats.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

One of the earliest known primates was Teilhardina, a tiny tree dweller weighing just 28 grams – similar to the smallest primate alive today, Madame Berthae’s mouse lemur.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

Future research will expand to larger primate samples, investigate diet-wear links in the wild, and apply advanced imaging to see how lesions form.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

Similar upper body structure to an ape, but bigger than any primate Butler had ever seen.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

That the orangutan's original habitats had been burned and fragmented to the point they could no longer sustain the primates was the main driving factor behind relocating them, Yiara said.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

The rocks of the Santiago Formation have also produced early saber-toothed carnivores and primates, El Adli said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The work brought together numerous collaborators and involved nonhuman primates at both the Oregon and California national primate research centers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

"When we compare humans with other primates, we are looking at abilities that may have come from a common ancestor," Cuaya added.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

More important, a specific part of the brain of humans and other primates — the region known as the neocortex, which deals with complex thought and reasoning — is huge by mammal standards.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell