simian

American  

[sim-ee-uhn] / ˈsɪm i ən /

noun

1. any of the monkeys or apes, classified into two subdivisions, the platyrrhines (New World monkeys) and the catarrhines (Old World monkeys and apes, including humans).

2. Disparaging and Offensive. (used as a slur against a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

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adjective

1. of or relating to any of the monkeys or apes.

2. characteristic of apes or monkeys.

   long, simian fingers.

3. Disparaging and Offensive. (used to describe a member of a racial or ethnic minority group, especially a Black person.)

simian British  

/ ˈsɪmɪən /

adjective

1. Also (rare): simious.  of, relating to, or resembling a monkey or ape

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noun

1. a monkey or ape

simian Scientific  

/ sĭm′ē-ən /

1. Resembling or characteristic of apes or monkeys.

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1. An ape or monkey. Ther term simian is no longer used in scientific contexts.

2. Compare prosimian

Sensitive Note

See simianization.

Other Word Forms

• simianity noun
• subsimian adjective

Etymology

Origin of simian

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin sīmi(a) “an ape,” probably from the Greek nickname and personal name Sīmiās (derivative of sīmus “flat-nosed, snub-nosed,” from Greek sīmós ) + -an adjective suffix; -an

Example Sentences

Almost everyone reading this will recognize the slender, ponytailed figure who became a close friend and protector of the simian species most closely related to ours.

From Salon

Another key player was John Chambers, the makeup artist who gave the world Spock’s ears on “Star Trek” and won an honorary Oscar for his trailblazing simian work on “Planet of the Apes.”

From Los Angeles Times

He insults himself in the first minute of the movie, and from then on wears his humiliations like a Purple Heart pinned to his hairy, simian chest.

From Los Angeles Times

Athapol said people shouldn’t see monkeys as villians, saying that the authorities might have not been efficient enough in their work to control the simian population.

From Seattle Times

Waze, on the other hand, is a clear and present danger to every pedestrian, equestrian, simian and median on the planet.

From Los Angeles Times