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Definition of western gorilla
western gorilla
Plural:western gorillas
western gorilla Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A critically endangered species of great ape (Gorilla gorilla) native to the tropical forests and swamps of western equatorial Africa, comprising two subspecies: the Western lowland gorilla and the Cross River gorilla.
Example
"Conservationists are working tirelessly to protect the remaining habitat of the Western gorilla from deforestation and illegal poaching."
Word Origin & Etymology
The term combines the directional adjective 'western', denoting its native range in western equatorial Africa, with 'gorilla', derived from the Greek 'Gorillai' (a tribe of hairy women described by Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator), a name assigned to the species by Western scientists in 1847.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Western gorilla. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 13, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/western gorilla