great apeとは 意味・読み方・使い方

名詞

great ape (複数形 great apes)

1. (archaic) A large non-human primate, such as a gorilla, an orangutan, or a chimpanzee. [to late 19C]
2. Any member of the taxonomic family Hominidae, including gorilla, orangutan, chimpanzee, excluding Homo.
   • 2005, Richard Dawkins, The Ancestor's Tale, page 114:

     Long before people thought in terms of evolution […] great apes were often confused with humans.

3. Any member of the taxonomic family Hominidae, including Homo, and also many similar extinct species.
   • 2014, Laurel Braitman, Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves:

     This wrinkled layer of gray matter that's highly developed in humans and other great apes, as well as whales, dolphins, and elephants, helps coordinate complex cognitive processes.

   Synonym: hominid