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baboon

[ ba-boon or, especially British, buh- ]
/ bæˈbun or, especially British, bə- /
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noun
any of various large, terrestrial monkeys of the genus Papio and related genera, of Africa and Arabia, having a doglike muzzle, large cheek pouches, and a short tail.
a coarse, ridiculous, or brutish person, especially one of low intelligence.

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Origin of baboon

1275–1325; Middle English baboyne, babewyn grotesque figure, gargoyle, late Middle English: baboon (compare Anglo-Latin babevynus) <Middle French babouin, akin to babine pendulous lip, derivative of an expressive base *bab- grimace

OTHER WORDS FROM baboon

ba·boon·ish, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use baboon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for baboon

baboon
/ (bəˈbuːn) /

noun
any of several medium-sized omnivorous Old World monkeys of the genus Papio (or Chaeropithecus) and related genera, inhabiting open rocky ground or wooded regions of Africa. They have an elongated muzzle, large teeth, and a fairly long tailSee also hamadryas, gelada

Word Origin for baboon

C14 babewyn gargoyle, later, baboon, from Old French babouin, from baboue grimace; related to Old French babine a thick lip
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
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