primate

noun

pri·​mate

ˈprī-ˌmāt

or especially for sense 1

-mət 

1

often Primate : 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

Like many primates, baby macaques instinctively cling to their mothers from birth. —Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026

They were listed in 2015 as critically endangered IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species but critically depleted as of 2023, and considered the world's rarest ape and primate by the ZSL. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026

Imagery illustrating Black people as apes, monkeys and other primates has long been considered racist in America. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026

Rather, they are placed there because the focus of many of those trees is on placental mammals, such as humans, other primates, carnivores, rodents and so on. —Kevin Omland, The Conversation, 9 Feb. 2026

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

Rhymes for primate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

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