silverback

American  

[sil-ver-bak] / ˈsɪl vərˌbæk /

noun

1. an older male gorilla, usually the leader of a troop, whose hairs along the back turn gray with age.

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silverback British  

/ ˈsɪlvəˌbæk /

noun

1. an older male gorilla with grey hair on its back

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Etymology

Origin of silverback

silver + back ¹

Example Sentences

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the average silverback gorilla weighs around 30 stone or 420 pounds; the kids weighed in at a combined 477 pounds.

From Salon

Another former official who was part of meetings with Trump and Boris Johnson said "they were like two silverbacks wrestling", making staff listening in next door cry with laughter.

From BBC

Winston, a beloved 52-year-old western lowland gorilla and one of the oldest silverbacks in the world, died Saturday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, officials announced.

From Los Angeles Times

An admirer called him “the silverback gorilla of nerds.”

From New York Times

Both babies were sired by Kiburi, a 19-year-old silverback brought to the zoo from Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands as part of a conservation breeding program to help preserve the critically endangered gorilla subspecies.

From Seattle Times