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Meaning of gorilla in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions
  1. Pronunciation

    /ɡəˈrɪlə/

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  1. Noun

    gorilla

    Etymology

    from an alleged African word for a wild or hairy person, found in the Greek account of the voyage of the Carthaginian explorer Hanno in the 5th or 6th century BC; adopted in 1847 as the specific name of the ape

    Definitions

    1. largest anthropoid ape

    Examples

    • « terrestrial and vegetarian »
    • « of forests of central west Africa »

Famous quotes

  • « What is missing from today's dialogue is the effect autism is having on families, our society and what the unknown factors are. The 300lb. gorilla in the room is that our children with autism today will soon become adults with autism. »
    Jenny McCarthy
  • « To be clear, climate change is a true 800 pound gorilla in the room. The effects of global warming threaten global environmental upheaval over the coming century. But for South Florida and the Everglades, it could be our death knell if urgent action is not taken. »
    Debbie Wasserman Schultz
  • « When I got my very first phone call that I'd hit the 'New York Times' list, I had a small rush of 'I've made it!' But the next morning, it occurred to me I didn't know what it was, so I called my agent and asked what being a 'New York Times' bestselling author really meant. He informed me that I was now a thousand pound gorilla. »
    Lisa Gardner
  • « Watching your daughter being collected by her date feels like handing over a million dollar Stradivarius to a gorilla. »
    Jim Bishop

Browse dictionary

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