gorilla (English)
Where does "gorilla" come from?
The English noun 'gorilla' descends from the Ancient Greek 'Γόριλλαι'[1], which was used to describe 'a tribe of hairy women'[1]. This Greek term was recorded by Hanno the Navigator, a Carthaginian explorer who potentially visited the region that is now Sierra Leone[1]. The Greek word is likely derived from Punic[1][2], and ultimately traces back to an African language used for describing hairy people[1][2].
Open questions
- The ultimate derivation from an African language via Punic into Ancient Greek is a matter of likelihood rather than certainty. [1] [2]
Full etymology tree
- gorilla (English), 'An ape of the genus Gorilla; endemic to the forests of Central Africa and typified by superlative physical size and strength in relation to other primates.'
- derived Γόριλλαι (Górillai) (Ancient Greek), 'Gorillai (a tribe of hairy women described by Hanno the Navigator)'
- borrowed 𐤐𐤅𐤍𐤉 (Punic) (Punic)
- inherited African (African language)
- borrowed 𐤐𐤅𐤍𐤉 (Punic) (Punic)
- derived Γόριλλαι (Górillai) (Ancient Greek), 'Gorillai (a tribe of hairy women described by Hanno the Navigator)'
Ancestors
- Γόριλλαι (Ancient Greek)
Descendants and derived words
- 800-pound gorilla (English)
- 800-pound gorilla in the room (English)
- buffarilla (English)
- Chicagorilla (English)
- eastern gorilla (English)
- gorillagram (English)
- gorilla in the room (English)
- gorillalike (English)
- gorilla pimp (English)
- gorilla pimp (English)
- gorilla salad (English)
- Gorilla Sign Language (English)
Sources
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris