silverback

[sil-ver-bak]

noun

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

Origin of silverback

silver + back¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for silverback

Contemporary Examples of silverback

A silverback is munching contently and endlessly on foliage.
Can Gorillas Save the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Nina Strochlic
April 28, 2014
The silverback pushes past the teen, rolling him down a slanting hill.
Can Gorillas Save the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Nina Strochlic
April 28, 2014

British Dictionary definitions for silverback

silverback

noun

an older male gorilla with grey hair on its back

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012