primate

[prahy-meyt or especially for 1, prahy-mit] /ˈpraɪ meɪt or especially for 1, ˈpraɪ mɪt/

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

primatal, adjective, noun

primatial

[prahy-mey-shuh l] /praɪˈmeɪ ʃəl/ (Show IPA), primatical

[prahy-mat-i-kuh l] /praɪˈmæt ɪ kəl/ (Show IPA), adjective

Examples from the web for primate

If not careful in its usual place up in the trees, this primate often wound up as an owl's midnight feast.
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.
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.
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.
One possible answer a comes from the rich literature of nonhuman primate studies.

British Dictionary definitions for primate

primate¹

/ˈpraɪmeɪt/

noun

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

adjective

of, relating to, or belonging to the order Primates

Derived Forms

primatial (praɪˈmeɪʃəl) adjective

Word Origin

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

primate²

/ˈpraɪmeɪt/

noun

another name for archbishop

Primate of all England, the Archbishop of Canterbury

Primate of England, the Archbishop of York

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for primate

"high bishop," c.1200, from Old French primat and directly from Medieval Latin primatem (nominative primas) "church primate," noun use of Late Latin adjective primas "of the first rank, chief, principal," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)).

Meaning "animal of the biological order including monkeys and humans" is attested from 1876, from Modern Latin Primates (Linnæus), from plural of Latin primas; so called from supposedly being the "highest" order of mammals (originally also including bats).

primate in Medicine

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.

primate in Science

primate

(prī'māt')
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.