primate

noun

1. zoologyA mammal of the order Primates, including simians and prosimians.

   “Primates range from lemurs to gorillas.”

2. informalA simian anthropoid; an ape, human or monkey.

3. ecclesiasticalIn 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.

4. ecclesiasticalIn 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.

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

6. A senior clergyman and dignitaryperson

   Similar: archpriest, hierarch, high priest, prelate

7. Any placental mammal of the order Primates; has good eyesight and flexible hands and feetanimal