gorilla

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A very large, powerful ape that lives in the forests of central Africa.

   The gorilla is the largest of all the apes.

2. 2
   noun

   A big, rough, violent man; a thug.

   Two gorillas in dark suits guarded the door.

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.

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