primate
NounUS[prahy-meyt]/ˈpraɪˌmeɪt/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (2)primates
- a senior clergyman and dignitarySynonyms: archpriesthierarchhigh priestprelateType of priestExamples William Inge, Wykeham, Ussher, Newman, Tutu, Richelieu, Wyszynski, Jimenez de Cisneros
- any placental mammal of the order Primates; has good eyesight and flexible hands and feetType of placental, placental mammalKinds monkey, ape, lemur, simian, hominoid, anthropoid, prosimian, tarsier, hominidMember of Primates, order Primates
Word of the day · Nov 6About this word
punctiliousadjective
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Pri′mate noun
Origin: OE. primat, F. primat, L. primas, -atis one of the first, chief, fr. primus the first. See Prime, adjective
1. The chief ecclesiastic in a national church; one who presides over other bishops in a province; an archbishop.
2. Zoology One of the Primates.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54
The Devil's Dictionary
PRIMATE, n. The head of a church, especially a State church supported by involuntary contributions. The Primate of England is the Archbishop of Canterbury, an amiable old gentleman, who occupies Lambeth Palace when living and Westminster Abbey when dead. He is commonly dead.