primatology

noun

pri·​ma·​tol·​o·​gy ˌprī-mə-ˈtä-lə-jē 

: the study of primates especially other than recent humans (Homo sapiens)

primatological

ˌprī-mə-tə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

primatologist

ˌprī-mə-ˈtä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of primatology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Local police sent near daily updates on efforts to catch the monkeys from Westergaard, who is an expert on behavioral primatology. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

To me, the key messages center on Dian as a female pioneer in the fields of both primatology and conservation. —Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 8 Dec. 2017

In less than a decade Wright had gone from being a junior faculty member to a global voice in primatology and conservation. —Dyan MacHan, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2022

Her field research revolutionized the field of primatology, helping transform how scientists and the public perceive the emotional and social complexity of animals. —David Crary, Star Tribune, 20 May 2021

In the ’60s, with primatology a fashionable area of academic study, a University of Oklahoma psychologist and his wife, Maurice and Jane Temerlin, decided to raise a chimpanzee as a human being, as an experiment in nature vs. nurture. —John Anderson, WSJ, 27 Apr. 2021

Over the past six decades, the now 85-year-old English researcher has revolutionized the entire field of primatology. —Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2020

The sociobiologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, for instance, found that previously established conclusions in primatology research were upended when women began entering the field and spotting the biases of previous (white, male) researchers. —Melody Schreiber, The New Republic, 22 May 2020

The multidisciplinary team effort has involved articulatory and acoustic modeling, child language research, paleontology, primatology and more. —Louis-Jean Boë, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2019

Word History

Etymology

primate + -o- + -logy

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for primatology

• aetiology
• anthropology
• archaeology
• archeology
• audiology
• cardiology
• climatology
• cohomology
• cosmetology
• criminology
• demonology
• dermatology

Kids Definition

primatology

noun

pri·​ma·​tol·​o·​gy ˌprī-mə-ˈtäl-ə-jē 

: the study of primates and especially primates other than human beings

primatologist

-jist 

noun

Medical Definition

primatology

noun

pri·​ma·​tol·​o·​gy -ə-jē 

plural primatologies

: the study of members of the order Primates especially other than recent humans (Homo sapiens)

primatological

-mət-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective