Old World monkey

[ ohld wurld muhng-kee ]

noun

1. any of various catarrhine primates inhabiting a range of environments in Africa, Arabia, and Asia, typically having a hairless face, forward- or downward-directed nostrils, relatively short arms, flat nails, and a stubby or vestigial tail, as seen in most representative species, including baboons, colobuses, and mandrills: in contrast, long, often prehensile tails are characteristic of New World monkeys

Old World monkey

noun

1. any monkey of the family Cercopithecidae, including macaques, baboons, and mandrills. They are more closely related to anthropoid apes than are the New World monkeys, having nostrils that are close together and nonprehensile tails Compare New World monkey

Word History and Origins

Origin of Old World monkey¹

First recorded in 1835–40

Example Sentences

It is worth noting, by the way, that no old-world monkey has attained to this application of its tail.

From Project Gutenberg