ETYM Old Eng. primat, French primat, Latin primas, -atis one of the first, chief, from primus the first. Related to Prime.<br />
In the Christian church, the official title of an archbishop.
Any placental mammal of the order Primates; has good eyesight and flexible hands and feet.
Ecclesiastical, archbishop; Zoology, member of highest order of mammals.
In zoology, any member of the order of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and humans (together called anthropoids), as well as lemurs, bushbabies, lorises, and tarsiers (together called prosimians).
Generally, they have forward-directed eyes, gripping hands and feet, opposable thumbs, and big toes. They tend to have nails rather than claws, with gripping pads on the ends of the digits, all adaptations to the arboreal, climbing mode of life.