bonobo

noun

bo·​no·​bo bə-ˈnō-bō  ˈbä-nə-bō 

-nō-

plural bonobos

: a rare anthropoid ape (Pan paniscus) that has a more slender build and longer limbs than the related common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes) and that inhabits a small geographic region in equatorial Africa south of the Congo River

called also pygmy chimpanzee

Examples of bonobo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While most animals did not pass Gallup's test, some did, including dolphins, great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos), and magpies. —David Faris, Newsweek, 10 July 2024

Male bonobos are actually three times as likely as male chimps to engage in hitting, biting, and other aggressive interactions, researchers reported in Current Biology last week. —science.org, 8 Apr. 2020

Some of our closer relatives, like chimps and bonobos, learn from their fellow species-members. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 18 June 2024

The trio learns these villains are goons for the tyrannical bonobo Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

bonobo

noun

bo·​no·​bo bə-ˈnō-bō; ˈbä-nə-bō  -nō- 

: a rare anthropoid ape of the genus Pan (P. paniscus) that has a more slender build and longer limbs than the related common chimpanzee (P. troglodytes)

called also pygmy chimpanzee