Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - primate

 noun  Etymology: Middle English primat, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin primat-, primas archbishop, from Latin, leader, from primus  Date: 13th century  1. often capitalized a bishop who has precedence in a province, a group of provinces, or a nation  2. archaic one first in authority or rank ; leader  3. New Latin Primates, from Latin, plural of primat-, primas any of an order (Primates) of mammals that are characterized especially by advanced development of binocular vision, specialization of the appendages for grasping, and enlargement of the cerebral hemispheres and that include humans, apes, monkeys, and related forms (as lemurs and tarsiers)  • ~ship noun  • primatial adjective