Dictionary.com

talapoin

[ tal-uh-poin ]
/ ˈtæl əˌpɔɪn /
Save This Word!

noun
a small, yellowish guenon monkey, Micropithecus (Cercopithecus) talapoin, of western Africa.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of talapoin

1580–90; <French, special use (originally jocular) of talapoin Buddhist monk <Mon tɔelaʔ pian (written tīla puin) Buddha, literally, the Lord of Merit (Old Mon tirlaaʾ lord + Pali puñña merit)

Words nearby talapoin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use talapoin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for talapoin

talapoin
/ (ˈtæləˌpɔɪn) /

noun
the smallest of the guenon monkeys, Cercopithecus talapoin, of swampy central W African forests, having olive-green fur and slightly webbed digits
(in Myanmar and Thailand)
  1. a Buddhist monk
  2. a title of respect used in addressing such a monk

Word Origin for talapoin

C16: from French, literally: Buddhist monk, from Portuguese talapão, from Mon tala pōi our lord; originally jocular, from the appearance of the monkey
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
FEEDBACK