prīˈmād.(ˌ)ēz, -āˌtēz noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from plural of Latin primat-, primas one of the first
: an order of eutherian mammals including man, apes, monkeys, lemurs, and living and extinct related forms that are all thought to be derived from generalized arboreal ancestors descended in turn from shrewlike precursors during the Paleocene and that are in general characterized by increasing perfection of binocular vision, specialization of the appendages for grasping, and enlargement and differentiation of the brain