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hamadryas

British  
/ ˌhæməˈdraɪəs /

noun

  1. Also called: hamadryas baboon.   sacred baboon.  a baboon, Papio (or Comopithecus ) hamadryas, of Arabia and NE Africa, having long silvery hair on the head, neck, and chest: regarded as sacred by the ancient Egyptians: family Cercopithecidae

"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

Etymology

Origin of hamadryas

C19: via New Latin from Latin; see hamadryad

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

Female hamadryas baboons given hormonal contraception lived 29 percent longer, while castrated males lived 19 percent longer.

From Science Daily Jan. 16, 2026

Thoth, the god of learning and wisdom was represented by a hamadryas baboon.

From Science Daily Oct. 24, 2023

Archaeologists have long puzzled over the prominence of the hamadryas baboon in ancient Egyptian culture.

From Scientific American Nov. 17, 2021

And are hamadryas baboons distinctive in this regard?

From Scientific American Nov. 17, 2021

Baboons, you know, are Cynocephali or dog-headed monkeys; the species includes drills, mandrills, sphinx, chacma and hamadryas.

From The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon and other humorous tales by Connell, Richard

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