gorilla
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gorilla
an ape: It was the second time the gorilla escaped from the zoo.
Not to be confused with:
guerrilla – a member of an irregular military force: They used guerrilla tactics to overthrow the city.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
go·ril·la
(gə-rĭl′ə)n.
1. Either of two large apes (Gorilla gorilla or G. beringei) native to the forests of equatorial Africa, having a stocky body and coarse dark brown or black hair.
2. Slang
a. A powerfully built, aggressive, and often crude man.
b. A thug.
[New Latin (Trōglodytēs) gorilla, former species name, from Greek Gorillai, a tribe of hairy women, perhaps of African origin.]
Word History: Two traditions of exploration come together in the history of the word gorilla. When Dr. Thomas S. Savage, an American missionary to western Africa, made the first scientific description of a gorilla in 1847, he gave the animal he was describing the New Latin name Troglodytes gorilla. In formulating this name, Savage was making reference to the Periplus, an ancient Greek version of a report (originally written in Punic) in which Hanno, a Carthiginian public official and navigator, describes a voyage he undertook to West Africa. Sometime after 500 bc (the date of his voyage is uncertain), Hanno sailed out of the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar and followed the coast of Africa southward at least as far as Sierra Leone—perhaps even going as far as Cameroon. In his report, Hanno tells of seeing members of a tribe of hairy women called Gorillai, the name of which he allegedly learned from local informants. In fact, the Gorillai that he saw may have been chimpanzees or perhaps even the apes that we call gorillas today, using the name that Savage bestowed on them twenty-four centuries after Hanno's voyage.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
gorilla
(ɡəˈrɪlə)n
1. (Animals) the largest anthropoid ape, Gorilla gorilla, inhabiting the forests of central W Africa. It is stocky and massive, with a short muzzle and coarse dark hair
2. informal a large, strong, and brutal-looking man
[C19: New Latin, from Greek Gorillai, an African tribe renowned for their hirsute appearance]
goˈrilla-ˌlike adj
goˈrillian, gorilline adj
goˈrilloid adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
go•ril•la
(gəˈrɪl ə)n., pl. -las.
1. the largest anthropoid ape, Gorilla gorilla, of equatorial Africa, vegetarian and mainly terrestrial.
2. an ugly or brutish person.
3. a hoodlum or thug.
[1790–1800; < New Latin < Greek Goríllās (acc. pl.) name for a race of hairy women in Hanno's account of his voyage along the coast of Africa (5th century B.C.)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
go·ril·la
(gə-rĭl′ə) The largest and most powerful of the apes, found in central African forests and mountains. Gorillas have a heavy, stocky body with dark hair, dwell on the ground, and feed mainly on leaves and stems. They live in close-knit groups and have elaborate social interactions.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
See also related terms for soldier.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | gorilla - largest anthropoid ape; terrestrial and vegetarian; of forests of central west Africa genus Gorilla - gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla, western lowland gorilla - a kind of gorilla eastern lowland gorilla, Gorilla gorilla grauri - a kind of gorilla Gorilla gorilla beringei, mountain gorilla - gorilla of Kivu highlands silverback - an adult male gorilla with grey hairs across the back |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
gorilla
nounThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
غُوريلاغوريلا، نوع من القِرَدَه
горила
gorila
gorilla
gorilla
gorilla
gorila
gorilla
górilla
ゴリラ
고릴라
gorila
gorilla
gorile
gorila
gorila
gorilla
ลิงกอริลล่า
khỉ đột
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
gorilla
n → Gorilla m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
gorilla
(gəˈrilə) noun the largest type of ape. Two gorillas have escaped from the zoo.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
gorilla
→ غُوريلا gorila gorilla Gorilla γορίλας gorila gorilla gorille gorila gorilla ゴリラ 고릴라 gorilla gorilla goryl gorila горилла gorilla ลิงกอริลล่า goril khỉ đột 大猩猩Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009