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Definition of "catarrhine" [cat•ar•rhine]

  • Of or being a group of primates including the Old World monkeys, apes, and humans, characterized by nostrils that are close together and directed frontward or downward. (adjective)
  • A catarrhine primate, such as a gorilla. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "catarrhine" in a sentence
  • "They are what are called catarrhine Apes — that is, their nostrils have"
  • "They are what are called catarrhine Apes -- that is, their nostrils have a narrow partition and look downwards; and, furthermore, their arms are always longer than their legs, the difference being sometimes greater and sometimes less; so that if the four were arranged in the order of the length of their arms in proportion to that of their legs, we should have this series -- Orang (1 4"
  • "Why put platyrrhine monkeys in South America only, and catarrhine monkeys in Africa and Asia only?"