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Primates

[ prahy-mey-teez ]
/ praɪˈmeɪ tiz /
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noun
the order comprising the primates.
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Origin of Primates

1765–75; <New Latin, plural of Latin prīmās one of the first, chief, principal. See primate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Primates in a sentence

Cultural definitions for Primates

primates
[ (preye-mayts) ]

The order of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and human beings. Primates are distinguished from other animals in that they generally possess limbs capable of performing a variety of functions, hands and feet adapted for grasping (including opposable thumbs), flattened snouts, and other anatomical features. (See Linnean classification.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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