Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

primate

/ˈpɹaɪmeɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.14 in modern English

Syllables
pri-mate
IPA
/ˈpɹaɪmeɪt/
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A mammal of the order Primates, comprising of apes (including humans), monkeys, lemurs, tarsiers, lorisids, and galagos.

noun

An anthropoid; ape including human.

Informal

noun

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.

noun

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.

noun

In the Anglican Church, an archbishop, or the highest-ranking bishop of an ecclesiastic province.

Example Sentences

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

primates (plural)

Derived Forms

euprimate nonprimate primatal primatelike primatology primatophilic subprimate superprimate supraprimate archprimate primateship primatical

Phrases

pan-primate super-primate abbot primate primate city Primate of All England Primate of England Primate of the Gauls prince-primate

Frequently Paired Words

:Category:Hominids :Category:Monkeys :Category:Prosimians primatial primus ultimate exarch patriarch

Synonyms

primate archpriest hierarch high priest prelate

Questions

How do you pronounce primate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɹaɪmeɪt/.
What does primate mean?
A mammal of the order Primates, comprising of apes (including humans), monkeys, lemurs, tarsiers, lorisids, and galagos.
Where does primate come from?
It is traced to French. First known use: First attested in 1876.

How to pronounce primate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “primate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɹaɪmeɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “primate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “primate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.