Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Gorilla gorilla

Gorilla gorilla

5.4
A very large ape that lives in the forests of western Africa
  • noun
  • /ɡəˈrɪlə ɡəˈrɪlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Gorilla gorilla
  • The endangered Gorilla gorilla inhabits the lowland forests of western Africa.

Examples

  • Wildlife documentaries often feature Gorilla gorilla in their natural habitat.

  • Researchers are studying Gorilla gorilla to better understand primate behavior.

  • The Gorilla gorilla is a critically endangered species.

  • Many researchers study the Gorilla gorilla in their natural habitat.

  • Researchers are studying Gorilla gorilla to better understand primate behavior.

  • The endangered Gorilla gorilla inhabits the lowland forests of western Africa.

  • Wildlife documentaries often feature Gorilla gorilla in their natural habitat.

Surface Forms

Gorilla gorilla singular
Gorillas gorilla plural

Morphology

gorilla + gorilla

The expression is a literal repetition of the known noun as a Linnaean binomial; a learner who knows 'gorilla' will readily infer it refers to a gorilla (i.e., a species of gorilla). While the precise taxonomic nuance ('western gorilla') may be specialist knowledge, the basic meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Gorilla gorilla comes from the way scientists give animals two names: a group name and a species name. Here they used the same word twice to show this is the 'typical' member of the gorilla group, so Gorilla gorilla is the official name for the western gorilla.