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primate

[prahy-meyt or, especially for 1, prahy-mit]

noun

Ecclesiastical. an archbishop or bishop ranking first among the bishops of a province or country.

any of various omnivorous mammals of the order Primates, comprising the three suborders Anthropoidea (humans, great apes, gibbons, Old World monkeys, and New World monkeys), Prosimii (lemurs, loris, and their allies), and Tarsioidea (tarsiers), especially distinguished by the use of hands, varied locomotion, and by complex flexible behavior involving a high level of social interaction and cultural adaptability.

Archaic. a chief or leader.

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English primat dignitary, religious leader < Late Latin prīmāt- (stem of prīmās), noun use of Latin prīmās of first rank, derivative of prīmus first (see prime); (def. 2) taken as singular of Neo-Latin Primates Primates, as if ending in -ate¹

Related forms

pri·ma·tal, adjective, noun

pri·ma·tial

[prahy-mey-shuhl] , pri·mat·i·cal

[prahy-mat-i-kuhl] , adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To primate

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Primate is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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Example Sentences

If not careful in its usual place up in the trees, this primate often wound up as an owl's midnight feast.

Nice primate behavior, y'all, you haven't advanced beyond the chimpanzees yet in this discussion.

Today there are twice as many primate species as there were then.

EXPAND

If not careful in its usual place up in the trees, this primate often wound up as an owl's midnight feast.

Nice primate behavior, y'all, you haven't advanced beyond the chimpanzees yet in this discussion.

Today there are twice as many primate species as there were then.

The ability to detect threatening snakes may have shaped the visual system of our primate ancestors, a new study says.

Embryonic stem cells derived from adult primate cells suggest humans may get their turn yet.

Now the growing number of people nearby pose a threat to the furtive primate.

Primate brains have not always gotten bigger as they evolved, according to new research.

In this lesson, students examine the different branches of the primate family tree.

Observing the endowment effect in three primate species suggests it does, indeed, have deep evolutionary roots.

Information about what makes an animal a primate should be included.

Then they excluded human genes that also exist in primate relatives, but are disabled.

One persistent question has been how, and why, humans came to be so different from our primate ancestors.

Monday's story on successful primate cloning appears to be true.

One possible answer a comes from the rich literature of nonhuman primate studies.

The pygmy mouse lemur is the smallest primate in the world.

The researchers videotaped the subjects while showing them a unique human or primate face together with a previously viewed image.

Gorosaurus had its jaws split open by the movie's primate star.

Brian has suddenly become fascinated with our other close primate relatives, the bonobos.

No longer can you lay claim to being the oldest creature on the human branch of the primate family tree.

Because the skeleton is so remarkably complete, scientists believe it will provide a window into primate evolution.

There¿s a lot of variation in how much of the body is covered with fur in various primate groups.

We are not that far removed from a protein rich naked primate.

Like primate grooming, gossip arose to cement community ties, a new book argues.

Several other primate species exhibit similar patterns.

Kings of the corporate jungle may survive by using conflict and cooperation techniques honed by their primate relatives.

Orangutans, those red-haired knuckle-dragging apes, are loping today into the upper echelons of the primate hierarchy.

Notes on science, politics, and history from a primate in the human zoo.

Many explanations for the evolution of primate intelligence relate to the challenges of finding food.

Reed's team studied changes in primate and lice genes to determine when different louse species originated.

Researchers engineer mice to see the world as humans do, provide clues to how primate vision evolved.

The museum also has online collections of artifacts and primate bones eLucy:.

We have small, soft teeth, and our guts are smaller than those of any other primate relative to body size.

How primate behavior sheds light on the origins of our sense of right and wrong.

The equally rare tarsier is a tiny, monogamous primate that only comes out after dark.

The primate preference for fairness may depend on complex social rules.

There is a major danger in exposing humans to lethal nonhuman primate viruses during experimental procedures.

Other animals may whimper, moan and wail, but none sheds tears of emotion--not even our closest primate cousins.

Feelings of triumph and dominance are part of a long heritage of primate evolution and human social development.

Check out these facts, photos, and video to find out more about this great primate.

Laidre told me by email that he also queried several long-term primate observers, and none have seen the behavior.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

primate¹ (ˈpraɪmeɪt)

—n
1.	any placental mammal of the order Primates, typically having flexible hands and feet with opposable first digits, good eyesight, and, in the higher apes, a highly developed brain: includes lemurs, lorises, monkeys, apes, and man

—*adj*
2.	of, relating to, or belonging to the order Primates

[C18: from New Latin primates, plural of prīmās principal, from prīmus first]

primatial¹

—*adj*

primate² (ˈpraɪmeɪt)

—n
1.	another name for archbishop
2.	Primate of all England the Archbishop of Canterbury
3.	Primate of England the Archbishop of York

[C13: from Old French, from Latin prīmās principal, from prīmus first]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

primate

"high bishop," c.1200, from M.L. primas (gen. primatis) "church primate," from L.L. adj. primas "of the first rank, chief, principal," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)). Meaning "biological order including monkeys and humans" is 1898, from Mod.L. Primates (Linnæus), from pl. of L. primas so

EXPAND

called from supposedly being the "highest" order of mammals (originally also including bats). Hence, primatology "the study of Primates" (1941).

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

primate pri·mate (prī'māt')
n.
A mammal of the order Primates, which includes the anthropoids and prosimians, characterized by refined development of the hands and feet, a shortened snout, and a large brain.

pri·ma'tial (-mā'shəl) adj.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

primate

(prī'māt') Pronunciation Key
Any of various mammals of the order Primates, having a highly developed brain, eyes facing forward, a shortened nose and muzzle, and opposable thumbs. Primates usually live in groups with complex social systems, and their high intelligence allows them to adapt their behavior successfully to different environments. Lemurs, monkeys, apes, and humans are primates.

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