chimpanzee
chim-PAN-zee/t͡ʃɪmˈpæn.zi/
Pluralchimpanzees
- 1A large African ape with dark hair, very smart, and the closest animal relative to people.
Like a distant cousin: of all animals, they are the ones most like people.
A chimpanzee can use sticks to pull insects out of a log.
The chimpanzees at the sanctuary groom each other every afternoon.
Similarchimp
Note
- 2Any ape belonging to the small group of great apes that also includes the bonobo.
Like a family name shared by more than one close relative.
Scientists count two living species of chimpanzee: the common one and the bonobo.
The bonobo is the second kind of chimpanzee, alongside the more familiar common species.
Note
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Origin
The name comes from a Bantu language of Angola. It likely reached English through French chimpanzé. It was first recorded in 1738.