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

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

This Amazonian freshwater environment was nutrient-rich and teeming with life, home to crocodilians, turtles and fish, as well as mammals such as sloths, rodents, ungulates and primates. —Mindy Weisberger, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024

Some carnivores, primates and hoofed mammals did have larger males. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024

These primates are technically called Skywalker hoolock gibbons and were named by a group of Star Wars-loving scientists in 2017, after observing them in southwestern China. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2024

From the dense canopies of rainforests to the open expanses of savannas and woodlands, these primates have shown an incredible ability to thrive in various environments. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024

Kong unfreezes himself, and proves once again to be the fiercest primate around. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2024

These strategies, the authors argue, should work for any animal harboring viruses with spillover potential, including bats, birds, rodents and primates. —Ari Daniel, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024

These sorts of episodes indicated that primates had cognition, Professor de Waal said. —Alex Traub, New York Times, 20 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