primate
See also: Primate
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From French primate [1876], from Latin primas (“one of the first, chief, excellent, noble”). So named due to the belief that primates are the “highest” order of mammals/animals.
NounEdit
primate (plural primates)
- (zoology) A mammal of the order Primates, including simians and prosimians.
- Primates range from lemurs to gorillas.
- (informal) A simian anthropoid; an ape, human or monkey.
HyponymsEdit
- See also Thesaurus:primate
TranslationsEdit
mammal
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Etymology 2Edit
From Middle English primate, primat, from Old French primat, from a noun use of Latin primat-, from primas, alternative form of primus (“prime, first rank”). Compare English primus, of similar derivation and meaning. [circa 1200]
NounEdit
primate (plural primates)
- (ecclesiastical) In the Catholic Church, a rare title conferred to or claimed by the sees of certain archbishops, or the highest-ranking bishop of a present or historical, usually political circumscription.
- (ecclesiastical) In the Orthodox Church, the presiding bishop of an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or region. Usually, the expression primate refers to the first hierarch of an autocephalous or autonomous Orthodox church. Less often, it is used to refer to the ruling bishop of an archdiocese or diocese.
- (ecclesiastical) In the Anglican Church, an archbishop, or the highest-ranking bishop of an ecclesiastic province.
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
archbishop or bishop
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See alsoEdit
FrenchEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
primate m (plural primates)
- primate (mammal)
See alsoEdit
Further readingEdit
- “primate” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
AnagramsEdit
GalicianEdit
NounEdit
primate m (plural primates)
- primate (animal)
ItalianEdit
NounEdit
primate m (plural primati)
- primate (ecclesiastical title)
Related termsEdit
- primati (mammals) (plurale tantum)
- primato (primacy)
AnagramsEdit
SpanishEdit
NounEdit
primate m (plural primates)
- primate (animal)