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: a pale brown Asian macaque (Macaca mulatta) often used in medical research
called also rhesus, rhesus macaque
Examples of rhesus monkey in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All was peaceful until August 21, 1935, when as many as 175 rhesus monkeys escaped from their mountain, supposedly after a worker left a wooden plank over the moat that normally kept them in.
—Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
The rhesus monkeys launched their great escape from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center on Wednesday at around 1 p.m. when a new employee left the door open while cleaning their enclosure, the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2024
The company also oversees a colony of about 3,500 rhesus monkeys on the nearby Morgan Island, which is only accessible by boat at the mouth of the Combahee River.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
Wardle thinks Hamilton’s hypothesis makes sense and has co-authored a study showing that rhesus monkeys also experience pareidolia—the first evidence of the phenomenon in a nonhuman species.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 4 Oct. 2024
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Word History
Etymology
New Latin Rhesus, genus of monkeys, from Latin, a mythical king of Thrace, from Greek Rhēsos
First Known Use
1829, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near rhesus monkey
Cite this Entry
“Rhesus monkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhesus%20monkey. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
rhesus monkey
noun
rhe·sus monkey
ˌrē-səs-
: a pale brown Asian monkey often used in medical research
Medical Definition
rhesus monkey
noun
: a pale brown Asian monkey of the genus Macaca (M. mulatta) often used in medical research
More from Merriam-Webster on rhesus monkey
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rhesus monkey
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