rhesus

[ ree-suhs ]

noun

1. a macaque, Macaca mulatta, of India, used in experimental medicine.

Rhesus

/ ˈriːsəs /

noun

1. Greek myth a king of Thrace, who arrived in the tenth year of the Trojan War to aid Troy. Odysseus and Diomedes stole his horses because an oracle had said that if these horses drank from the River Xanthus, Troy would not fall

Other Words From

• rhe·sian [ree, -sh, uh, n], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rhesus¹

1830–40; < New Latin, arbitrary use of Latin Rhēsus name of a Thracian king allied with Troy < Greek Rhêsos

Example Sentences

To understand the role that vocal membranes play, Nishimura’s team studied videos of primate voice boxes in action in chimpanzees, rhesus macaques and squirrel monkeys.

From Science News

The latest, released in April 2021, showed a rhesus monkey named Pager playing the video game Pong with its mind.

From MIT Technology Review

In April, researchers working with the company showed off videos of a rhesus monkey named Pager who can play the classic paddle game using thought signals.

From MIT Technology Review

An odd new study involving rhesus macaque monkeys, ethanol, and vaccines has found some benefit to moderate drinking.

From The Daily Beast

The great rhesus wars of 2012 demonstrate just that, and show us that healthy food, not less food, is important for a long life.

From The Daily Beast

But is the latest rhesus news really a victory for the slobs and snails?

From The Daily Beast

Odysseus drives the horses of Rhesus out of the camp with the bow of Meriones; he has forgotten to take the whip from the chariot.

From Project Gutenberg

The Rhesus, a feeble production long attributed to Euripides, is almost certainly not his work.

From Project Gutenberg

One, the work of the American, Kinnaman, on two Rhesus monkeys.

From Project Gutenberg

Rhesus slept in the midst, and beside him his swift horses were fastened by the reins to the outer rim 357 of the chariot.

From Project Gutenberg

They were probably the Indian baboon (Macacus rhesus) and, for animals which had not been hunted, were most extraordinarily wild.

From Project Gutenberg