primate

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a senior clergyman and dignitary
  2. noun any placental mammal of the order Primates; has good eyesight and flexible hands and feet

Etymology

First attested in 1876. From French primate, from the substantivization of Latin prīmās, prīmātis (“one of the first, chief, excellent, noble”), same as Etymology 2. So named due to the belief that primates are the highest order of mammals or animals.

In classic literature

Synonyms

archpriest, hierarch, high priest, prelate

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