primate
noun
enlarge image/ˈpraɪmeɪt//ˈpraɪmeɪt/any animal that belongs to the group of mammals that includes humans, apes and monkeysTopics Animalsc1- /ˈpraɪmət/, /ˈpraɪmeɪt//ˈpraɪmət/, /ˈpraɪmeɪt/an archbishop (= a priest of very high rank in the Christian Church)
- the Primate of all England (= the Archbishop of Canterbury)
Word Originsense 2 Middle English: from Old French primat, from Latin primas, primat- ‘of the first rank’, from primus ‘first’.sense 1 late 19th cent.: from Latin primas, primat- ‘of the first rank’, from primus ‘first’.