Monkees

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Several long-tailed simian animals of the primate order ; the American pop group formed in 1966 for a television series
2. Groups of agile tailed primates, mostly found in warm forests ; a 1960s American rock band created for a sitcom about its members
3. Small nimble primates with tails ; the musical quartet from the 1960s television show, known for hits like I'm a Believer

Etymology: "Monkees" is the plural of "Monkee," and the singular form is the one with the real story. The word was made famous in the 1960s by the American band The Monkees, whose name was coined as a playful nod to "monkey" and the Beatles' "Beatle" spelling style, which turned a familiar animal into something cheekier. The band's members were cast for a television series, and the group took its name from that brand-new invention rather than from any older word. Because the singular "Monkee" is a proper name for the group and its members, the plural follows the usual English pattern of adding "-s" to a noun ending in a consonant plus "-ee." Readers meeting the plural in print will usually be thinking of the band, though the word is also written in lowercase in general reference to the fans or fictional figures it has been applied to.