rhesus monkey

noun

rhe·​sus monkey ˈrē-səs- 

: 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

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

Researchers in China have successfully cloned the first rhesus monkey, a species widely used in medical research because of its physiological similarity to humans. —Sorcha Bradley, The Week Uk, theweek, 23 Jan. 2024

Amit Dave / Reuters To protect public areas from rhesus monkeys, which are a nuisance and often attack people, officials have put up life-size cutouts of langurs, a bigger primate that the rhesus monkeys find intimidating. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023

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

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