Cercopithecid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Any of the Old World monkeys belonging to the family Cercopithecidae, including baboons, macaques and guenons
2. A primate of the taxonomic family Cercopithecidae, native to Africa and Asia and distinguished by narrow noses and non-prehensile tails
3. An Old World monkey classified within the family Cercopithecidae, such as a baboon, macaque, or guenon found across Africa and Asia

Etymology: Cercopithecid belongs to a family of Old World monkeys, and its name is built from Greek parts. The root "kerkos" meant "tail," and "pithekos" meant "ape" or "monkey." Put together, they describe a creature with a tail, a distinction that matters because the family includes many long-tailed monkeys such as macaques, guenons, mangabeys and baboons, in contrast with the tailless apes of the same continent. The family name was formed in modern scientific Latin, following the classical pattern used by taxonomists to label animal groups. The Greek roots were chosen to give a descriptive label, so the word is a coinage rather than something ancient Greeks would have recognised. The "-id" ending marks it as a family name, the same ending found in words like "felid" for cats.

Synonyms: cercopithecoid