great ape

plural great apes

1. archaicA large non-human primate, such as a gorilla, an orangutan, or a chimpanzee.First known use to late 19C
2. Any member of the taxonomic family Hominidae, including gorilla, orangutan, chimpanzee, excluding Homo.

   Long before people thought in terms of evolution […] great apes were often confused with humans.

   2005, Richard Dawkins, The Ancestor's Tale, page 114

3. Any member of the taxonomic family Hominidae, including Homo, and also many similar extinct species.

   This wrinkled layer of gray matter that's highly developed in humans and other great apes, as well as whales, dolphins, and elephants, helps coordinate complex cognitive processes.

   2014, Laurel Braitman, Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves

   Synonyms: hominid