Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

gibbon

/ˈɡɪbən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.80 in modern English

Syllables: gib-bon
IPA: /ˈɡɪbən/

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A small, arboreal ape of the family Hylobatidae with long limbs, which they use to travel through tropical rainforests by swinging from branch to branch.

name

Example Sentences

"'[…] Suppose that in years to come, when the Church's troubles seem to be over, there should come an apostate of my own trade, a false historian, with the mind of Cicero or Tacitus and the soul of an animal,' and he nodded towards the gibbon who fretted his golden chain and chattered for fruit."

Etymology

Reborrowing from French gibbon, folk etymology (compare English Gibbon) ultimately from a Northern Aslian language (compare Batek kəboɲ).

Origin

Source language: French

Word Breakdown

Root: gibbon, *Gebawin

Inflected Forms

gibbons (plural) guibon (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

shitgibbon Gibbonesque Gibbonian

Phrases

agile gibbon black-handed gibbon Bornean white-bearded gibbon capped gibbon common gibbon crested gibbon Hainan gibbon hoolock gibbon

Synonyms

hylobatid lesser ape hylobates lar

Rhymes With

ribbon ibn fitzgibbon mckibben mckibbin mcgibbon gribben hibben

Questions

How do you pronounce gibbon?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɪbən/.
What does gibbon mean?: A small, arboreal ape of the family Hylobatidae with long limbs, which they use to travel through tropical rainforests by swinging from branch to branch.
Where does gibbon come from?: It is traced to French.

How to pronounce gibbon

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “gibbon”.
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