gorilla

From Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (Górillai, “Gorillai (a tribe of hairy women)”), described by Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian navigator and possible visitor to the area that later became Sierra Leone; the Greek word is likely from Punic, and ultimately from an African language.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɡəˈɹɪl.ə/, (dated) /ɡɒˈɹɪl.ə/[1][2]
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡəˈɹɪl.ə/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪlə
• Homophone: guerrilla

gorilla (plural gorillas)

1. The largest of the apes, belonging to the genus Gorilla, native to the forests of central Africa and known for their trait of knuckle-walking.
   • 1893, Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, volume 27, pages 133, 135:

     In three of these twenty gorillæ 14 ribs are present, and the additional rib in each of them is below. […] The conclusion that the usual place of commencement of the dorsal type in the gorilla is between the 12th and 13th dorsal vertebræ is founded on notes taken of this character in 13 of these gorillæ.

2. A big and brutish man or a thug; a goon or ruffian.
   • 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed‎:

     "I'll do the old gorilla the justice to say that he is open-handed with money."

3. (informal) A powerful person or organization; a heavyweight or behemoth.
   • 1977, Computerworld, volume 11, number 19, page 58:

     The two industry gorillas — IBM and AT&T — will get together to decide who will provide different communications services, Biddle stated.

• Godzilla
• Gorillai

• → Japanese: ゴリラ (gorira)
• → Korean: 고릴라 (gorilla)
• → Thai: กอริลลา (gɔɔ-rin-lâa)

Borrowed from Dutch gorilla or English gorilla.

gorilla (plural gorillas, diminutive gorillatjie)

1. gorilla, primate of the genus Gorilla.

Borrowed from translingual Gorilla.

• IPA^(key): /ˌɣoːˈrɪ.laː/

• audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: go‧ril‧la
• Rhymes: -ɪlaː

gorilla m (plural gorilla's, diminutive gorillaatje n)

1. gorilla, primate of the genus Gorilla

• berggorilla
• laaglandgorilla

From English gorilla, from Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (Górillai).

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡorilːɑ/, [ˈɡo̞rilːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -orilːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): go‧ril‧la

gorilla

1. gorilla

• “gorilla”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

• IPA^(key): [ˈɡorilːɒ]

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: go‧ril‧la
• Rhymes: -lɒ

gorilla (plural gorillák)

1. gorilla
2. (figuratively) gorilla, muscleman, henchman

• gorilla in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

• IPA^(key): /ɡoˈril.la/
• Rhymes: -illa
• Hyphenation: go‧rìl‧la

gorilla m (invariable)

1. gorilla

• Gallori

From Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (Górillai, “a tribe of hairy women”).

gorilla m (definite singular gorillaen, indefinite plural gorillaer, definite plural gorillaene)

1. a gorilla

• “gorilla” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Ancient Greek Γόριλλαι (Górillai, “a tribe of hairy women”).

gorilla m (definite singular gorillaen, indefinite plural gorillaer or gorillaar, definite plural gorillaene or gorillaane)

1. a gorilla

• “gorilla” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

gorilla c

1. gorilla

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

gorilla c (plural gorilla's)

1. gorilla