rhesus monkey

British  

noun

1. a macaque monkey, Macaca mulatta , of S Asia: used extensively in medical research

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rhesus monkey Scientific  

/ rē′səs /

1. A small, yellowish-brown monkey (Macaca mulatta) of India, widely used in biological and medical research. The Rh (Rhesus) factor was first discovered in rhesus monkeys.

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Etymology

Origin of rhesus monkey

C19: New Latin, arbitrarily from Greek Rhesos _Rhesus

Example Sentences

Chinese researchers have cloned the first rhesus monkey, a species which is widely used in medical research because its physiology is similar to humans.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2024

“Like an orphaned rhesus monkey in the snow. It’s a howl of pain or rage.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2022

Researchers discovered the virus that came to be called Zika in 1947 in the blood of a rhesus monkey in Uganda’s Zika Forest.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 4, 2020

It was all harmless fun at first for Baker, a squirrel monkey, and her space travel companion, Able, a rhesus monkey, in the run-up to their 16-minute space flight on May 28, 1959.

From Time • Nov. 7, 2017

His voice was as loud as the scolding of a rhesus monkey high in the sundari trees.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins