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gibbon

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gibbon¹

  • /ˈɡɪbən/
  • /ɡɪˈbɑn/

Rhymes with -ɪbən

Where it comes from

Reborrowing from French gibbon, folk etymology (compare English Gibbon) ultimately from a Northern Aslian language (compare Batek kəboɲ).

noun gibbons · guibon

  1. 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. '[…] Suppose that in years to come, when the Church's troubles seem to be over, there should come an apostate of my own trade, a false historian, with the mind of Cicero or Tacitus and the soul of an animal,' and he nodded towards the gibbon who fretted his golden chain and chattered for fruit.

    Similar: hylobatid, lesser ape

gibbon²

noun gibbons

  1. alternative Alternative form of jibbon (“spring onion”).

Gibbon³

  • /ˈɡɪbən/

Rhymes with -ɪbən

Where it comes from

From Old French Giboin, from Frankish *Gebawin (literally “Gift-friend”).

proper noun

  1. A surname.

Translations

Every language

noun small ape

Españolgibón
日本語手長猿 tenagazaru, テナガザル tenagazaru
中文長臂猿 /长臂猿 chángbìyuán
हिन्दीलंगूर laṅgūr
Portuguêsgibão
Françaisgibbon
DeutschGibbon
Italianogibbone
Ελληνικάγίββων gívvon, γίββωνας gívvonas
Românăgibon
Русскийгиббо́н gibbón
Tiếng Việtvượn
العربيةغِيبُون ḡibūn/jibawn/jibun, جِبَّوْن ḡibūn/jibawn/jibun, جِبُون ḡibūn/jibawn/jibun

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MLA

"gibbon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gibbon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

gibbon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gibbon

Chicago

"gibbon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gibbon.

BibTeX
@misc{gibbon_2026,
  title = {gibbon},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gibbon},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}