baboon
[ ba-boon or, especially British, buh- ]
noun
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.
a coarse, ridiculous, or brutish person, especially one of low intelligence.
Origin of baboon
11275–1325; 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) /
Origin of baboon
1C14 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
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