primate

noun

pri·​mate

ˈprī-ˌmāt,

or especially for sense 1

-mət 

1

often capitalized : a bishop who has precedence in a province, a group of provinces, or a nation

2

archaic : one first in authority or rank : leader

3

: any of an order (Primates) of mammals that are characterized especially by advanced development of binocular vision resulting in stereoscopic depth perception, specialization of the hands and feet for grasping, and enlargement of the cerebral hemispheres and that include humans, apes, monkeys, and related forms (such as lemurs and tarsiers)

primateship

ˈprī-ˌmāt-ˌship 

noun

primatial

prī-ˈmā-shəl 

adjective

Examples of primate in a Sentence

the Primate of England and Wales

Recent Examples on the Web

So have several cetaceans—most famously, an orca known as Tahlequah, who, without the primate’s advantage of hands, carried her deceased infant on her back continuously for weeks, across more than a thousand miles of the Salish Sea. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

During this quarantine period, the primate will focus on improving their physical health with regular vet exams and care. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024

Chimpanzees communicate that way, too, a new study suggests — shedding new light on behavior patterns that humans and primates appear to share. —Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, 27 July 2024

Anthropologists have also found that humans and primates alike have the instinct to break a fall with outstretched wrists, another evolutionary development that is shown in the fossil record. —Carly Miller, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English primat, primate, borrowed from Anglo-French primat, primas, borrowed from Late Latin prīmāt-, prīmās "chief, superior, chief bishop," noun derivative of Latin prīmāt-, prīmās "of the highest rank, noble," from prīmus "first, foremost" + -āt-, -ās, adjective-forming suffix, originally from place names; (sense 3) after New Latin Primates (order name introduced by linnaeus), plural of Latin prīmās — more at prime entry 1

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

primate

noun

pri·​mate ˈprī-ˌmāt 

 or especially for 1  -mət

1

: a bishop or archbishop of the highest rank in a district, nation, or church

2

: any of an order of mammals that are characterized by hands and feet that grasp, a relatively large complex brain, and vision in which objects are seen in three dimensions and that includes human beings, apes, monkeys, and related forms (as lemurs and tarsiers)

Medical Definition

primate

noun

pri·​mate ˈprī-ˌmāt 

: any mammal of the order Primates