primate

American  

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

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.

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primate ¹ British  

/ 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

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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

• primatal
  adjective
• primatial
  adjective
• primatical
  adjective

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

In fact, Mr. Lefebvre notes many striking similarities between avian and primate intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

An average primate also has a much tougher time than an average bird adapting to cities, the most complex environments on earth.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The discovery also suggests that the apparent absence of early primate relatives in more southern parts of the Western Interior may have been influenced by sampling bias.

From Science Daily • Mar. 3, 2026

Despite being much more closely related to mice than to monkeys, squirrel evolution followed the primate playbook.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026

If you look at any species of primate — at every variety of monkey and ape — the larger their neocortex is, the larger the average size of the groups they live with.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell