# gorilla

Pronunciation: say "guh-RIL-uh" /ɡəˈɹɪl.ə/

## Noun

1. The largest of the living primates, a knuckle-walking ape native to the forests of central Africa.
   - Simple: A very large, strong ape that lives in the forests of central Africa and walks on its knuckles.
   - _A male gorilla beats his chest to warn off rivals._
   - _Mountain gorillas live in small family groups high in the forest._
2. A big, brutish man who works as a thug, goon, or hired ruffian.
   - Simple: A large, rough man who uses his size to scare or hurt others.
   - _He hired a gorilla to intimidate anyone behind on payments._
   - _The nightclub's gorillas threw the troublemakers out onto the street._
3. A dominant, powerful person or organization; a heavyweight in its field. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A very powerful person or company that controls a lot in its field.
   - _The retail gorilla swallowed three smaller competitors last year._
   - _In streaming, a few gorillas dominate while smaller services fight for scraps._
4. A sum of one thousand pounds sterling, or a thousand dollars. *(slang, Australia, UK)*
   - Simple: A sum of one thousand pounds or dollars.
   - _She handed over a gorilla in cash for the second-hand car._
   - _They were down three gorillas after a bad night at the tables._

## Origin

This word comes from Ancient Greek Górillai, the name of a tribe of hairy women described by the Carthaginian navigator Hanno, who may have visited the area that later became Sierra Leone. The Greek word likely came from Punic and ultimately from an African language.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/gorilla (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).