[guh-ril-uh] 
| 1. | the largest of the anthropoid apes, Gorilla gorilla, terrestrial and vegetarian, of western equatorial Africa and the Kivu highlands, comprising the subspecies G. g. gorilla (western lowland gorilla), G. g. graueri (eastern lowland gorilla), and G. g. beringei (mountain gorilla): now rare. |
| 2. | an ugly, brutish person. |
| 3. | Slang. a hoodlum or thug, esp. one who threatens or inflicts violence. |
[guh-ril-ahyn, -in] , adjective | go·ril·la (gə-rĭl'ə) n.
[New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, a tribe of hairy women, perhaps of African origin.] Word History: Two traditions of exploration come together in the history of the word gorilla, which also illustrates how knowledge of the classics has influenced scientific terminology. Dr. Thomas S. Savage, an American missionary to western Africa, first scientifically described the gorilla in 1847, giving it the New Latin name Troglodytes gorilla. In doing so he was using his knowledge of Greek literature, in which there exists a fourth-century B.C. translation of a report written by Hanno, another visitor to western Africa. This Carthaginian navigator, who voyaged before 480 B.C., went as far as Sierra Leone in his explorations. In the Greek translation of his report he tells of seeing Gorillai, the name of which he allegedly learned from local informants and which he thought were members of a tribe of hairy women. In fact they were probably the same creatures that Thomas Savage described about 24 centuries later. |
Gorilla
A company that dominates an industry without having a complete monopoly.
Investopedia Commentary
This term is a reference to the old jokes about the 800-pound gorillas, who "do whatever they want." For example, you'll hear people say "Microsoft is an 800-pound gorilla."
See also: Dove, Economic Moat, Elephants, Hawk, Monopoly
