gorilla

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.

go·ril·la

G0201600 (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.

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[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.

gorilla

(ɡəˈrɪlə) n1. (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 hair2. 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

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.)]

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.

guerrilla, gorilla - Guerrilla is from a Spanish diminutive of guerra, "war," and refers to a soldier of an independent armed resistance force; gorilla is the ape.See also related terms for soldier.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

gorilla - largest anthropoid ape; terrestrial and vegetarian; of forests of central west AfricaGorilla gorillagreat ape, pongid - any of the large anthropoid apes of the family Pongidaegenus Gorilla - gorillasGorilla gorilla gorilla, western lowland gorilla - a kind of gorillaeastern lowland gorilla, Gorilla gorilla grauri - a kind of gorillaGorilla gorilla beringei, mountain gorilla - gorilla of Kivu highlandssilverback - an adult male gorilla with grey hairs across the back

gorilla

nounSlang. A person who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire:hoodlum, ruffian, thug, tough.Informal: hooligan.Slang: goon, hood.

Translations

大猩猩

gorilla

(gəˈrilə) noun the largest type of ape. Two gorillas have escaped from the zoo. 大猩猩 大猩猩

gorilla

→ 大猩猩zhCN