baboon

[ ba-boon or, especially British, buh- ]
See synonyms for baboon on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various large, terrestrial monkeys of the genus Papio and related genera, of Africa and Arabia, having a doglike muzzle, large cheek pouches, and a short tail.

  2. a coarse, ridiculous, or brutish person, especially one of low intelligence.

Origin of baboon

1
1275–1325; Middle English baboyne, babewyn grotesque figure, gargoyle, late Middle English: baboon (compare Anglo-Latin babevynus) <Middle French babouin, akin to babine pendulous lip, derivative of an expressive base *bab- grimace

Other words from baboon

  • ba·boon·ish, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for baboon

baboon

/ (bəˈbuːn) /


noun
  1. any of several medium-sized omnivorous Old World monkeys of the genus Papio (or Chaeropithecus) and related genera, inhabiting open rocky ground or wooded regions of Africa. They have an elongated muzzle, large teeth, and a fairly long tail: See also hamadryas, gelada

Origin of baboon

1
C14 babewyn gargoyle, later, baboon, from Old French babouin, from baboue grimace; related to Old French babine a thick lip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012