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

But Goodall also observed the primates in warfare and cannibalism — along with manifestations of empathy and communal rearing of offspring orphaned by poachers. —Ralph Blumenthal, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

Throughout the animal kingdom, from tiny gnats to fish, birds, gazelles, even primates like us, creatures tend to organize into large moving patterns that pursue a seemingly spontaneous collective goal. —Quanta Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024

But the space agency reportedly euthanized what appeared to be its last 27 nonhuman primates on a single day in 2019. —Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

Human hands have some minor distinctions among primates that make a big difference. —Sabrina Sholts, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024

Rodrigues doesn’t know if those primates have a true sense of humor about the situation. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2024

Basically, a hominin is a primate that walks on two feet. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 1 Feb. 2024

Animals renowned for their outstanding night vision include owls, cats, tarsiers (a tiny primate in Southeast Asia) -- and even the dung beetle. —Matthew Solan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2024

In each, the system predicted the hand movement of a non-human primate with an error rate below 0.1 percent, which is acceptable for brain-computer applications. —IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 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 2

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