plural of chimp; great apes native to Africa that are our closest living relatives, known for being intelligent and social.
Short for chimpanzee, which comes from Bantu languages of Central Africa, likely from 'ki-mpenzi' meaning 'ape.' The word entered English in the 1700s as European explorers encountered these animals.
Chimps share about 98-99% of their DNA with humans, yet they can't speak our language—the difference lies in how their brains are wired for language, showing that similarity in genes doesn't always mean similarity in abilities.
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