baboon

[ ba-boon or, especially British, buh- ]

See synonyms for baboon on Thesaurus.com

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

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. 2023

How to use baboon in a sentence

Three lucky male baboons were injected with Vasalgel and given unrestricted sexual access to 10 to 15 female baboons each.
Male Birth Control, Without Condoms, Will Be Here by 2017 | Samantha Allen | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Despite the fact that they have been monkeying around for six months now, no female baboons have been impregnated.
Male Birth Control, Without Condoms, Will Be Here by 2017 | Samantha Allen | September 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The camera turns away before heads are smashed; bloodthirsty baboons snarl but are never seen ripping into a jugular.
Come On, ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’ Can Handle More Violence | Sujay Kumar | November 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
The most skilful in this exercise are some species of baboons, which can hurl branches, stones, or hard clods with much dexterity.
Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
There are some seven species of monkeys, including two baboons and one colobus.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 | Various

These baboons though mischievious and ferocious, are not carnivorous; they principally feed upon fruits, roots, and corn.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
This animal is the largest of all the apes or baboons, the orang-outang excepted.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
In general the disposition of the monkeys is much more tractable than that of the baboons, and not so sullen as that of the apes.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10) | Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for baboon

baboon

/ (bəˈbuːn) /

noun

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

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

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