gibbon
/ˈɡɪbən/ noun, proper noun
Forms gibbons guibon
- noun A small, arboreal ape of the family Hylobatidae with long limbs, which they use to travel through tropical rainforests by swinging from branch to branch.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
Reborrowing from French gibbon, folk etymology (compare English Gibbon) ultimately from a Northern Aslian language (compare Batek kəboɲ).
From Old French Giboin, from Frankish *Gebawin (literally “Gift-friend”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any arboreal ape of the genus Hylobates, of which many species and varieties inhabit the East Indies and Southern Asia. They are tailless and without cheek pouches, and have very long arms, adapted for climbing.
Etymology [Cf. F. gibbon.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gibbon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details