silverback

Everyday

1. A silverback is a grown-up male gorilla, the leader of a gorilla family, named after the silvery-grey hair on his back. tree →
2. (informal) Sometimes people jokingly call a strong older man who leads a group a silverback. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about animals and habitats, the silverback is the leader who protects the troop, decides where they go and settles quarrels. In nature films and zoo visits children meet the word. The joke sense appears in everyday talk about bosses.

Examples

• The silverback beat his chest to scare off danger. tree →
• A silverback can weigh twice as much as a man. tree →
• The baby gorillas played near the silverback. tree →
• The silverback leads his family through the forest. tree →
• Gorillas' hair turns silver when they are about twelve years old. tree →
• At the zoo, the silverback sat calmly eating leaves. tree →
• Dad is the silverback of our house, Mum joked. tree →

Note

Countable noun written as one word. Only adult male gorillas are silverbacks. Gorillas are mostly gentle plant-eaters; the image of the angry monster gorilla in films is a myth.