primate

[prahy-meyt, prahy-mit]

noun

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.

primate

¹

/ praɪˈmeɪʃəl, 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

adjective

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

primate

²

/ ˈpraɪmeɪt /

noun

1. another name for archbishop

2. the Archbishop of Canterbury

3. the Archbishop of York

primate

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.

Other Word Forms

• primatal adjective
• primatial adjective
• primatical adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of primate¹

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 ; prime, Primates, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of primate¹

C18: from New Latin primates, plural of prīmās principal, from prīmus first

Origin of primate²

C13: from Old French, from Latin prīmās principal, from prīmus first

Example Sentences

They focused on primates - and apes in particular - in order to build an evolutionary picture of the origin of the human kiss.

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Even though I’ve always been a fan of how big Autumn’s yard is, I’m now realizing how inconvenient it is when chasing a tiny primate.

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Learning how primates update their beliefs could reshape ideas about how children learn and even how artificial intelligence systems are designed.

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Students must do a training stint in each of four main categories — carnivore, herbivore, bird and primate — so they may wind up working with animals they find unpleasant.

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The Los Angeles Zoo has announced the birth of a baby boy Bornean orangutan, the first such primate baby at the zoo in almost 15 years.

Read more on Los Angeles Times