primate

noun pri·mate \ ˈprī-ˌmāt or especially for sense 1 -mət \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Definition of primate

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

[New Latin Primates, from Latin, plural of primat-, primas]

: 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)

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primateship

play \ˈprī-ˌmāt-ˌship\ noun

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primatial

play \prī-ˈmā-shəl\ adjective

See primate defined for English-language learners

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Examples of primate in a Sentence

the Primate of England and Wales

Recent Examples of primate from the Web

In doing so, the monkeys became the first of their genus and the fourth of all nonhuman primates to enter the Stone Age, so to speak.

— meilan solly, Smithsonian, "Did the Human Hand Evolve as a Lean Mean Bone-Smashing Machine?," 13 July 2018
The discovery marks the fourth-observed group of non-human primates that have used stones for tools.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Panama monkeys may have begun their own Stone Age, scientists say," 4 July 2018
Ebola virus disease, which causes fever, severe headache and in some cases hemorrhaging, most commonly affects people and nonhuman primates, such as monkeys, gorillas and chimpanzees.

— susan scutti, CNN, "Ebola outbreak in DRC is 'ongoing' but WHO is 'cautiously optimistic'," 8 June 2018
Yet even without human socialization, scientists have seen evidence of distinct — and distinctly gendered — toy preferences in young primates, who tend to group themselves along male-female lines.

— alex morris, The Cut, "Is it possible to raise your child entirely without gender from birth? Some parents are trying.," 3 Apr. 2018
Agents said then that Brown could face a misdemeanor charge carrying up to six months in jail for lacking a permit for the primate.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "Chris Brown Arrested After Concert in Florida," 6 July 2018
In its protest, the American Jewish Committee pointed to a passage in a 1936 pastoral letter by Hlond, who was Poland's primate then, that showed his attitude toward Jews and echoed the general line of the Catholic Church of the time.

— Fox News, "Polish priest set for sainthood criticized for anti-Semitism," 4 July 2018
And primates have even been known to attack children.

— christopher bendana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Uganda's pride: Lions test locals' patience," 27 June 2018
Gibbons are long-armed, tree-dwelling primates that are much smaller than the great apes (such as gorillas, orangutans and humans).

— amina khan, latimes.com, "Extinct species of gibbon discovered in an unlikely place — the tomb of a Chinese noblewoman," 22 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'primate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of primate

Middle English primat, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin primat-, primas archbishop, from Latin, leader, from primus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

PRIMATE Defined for English Language Learners

primate

noun

Definition of primate for English Language Learners

: any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys
: the highest ranking priest in a particular country or area in some Christian churches (such as the Church of England)