baboon
/bə'bu:n/
Definition
Noun: A baboon is a type of large, ground-dwelling Old World monkey. They are characterized by their long, dog-like snouts or muzzles, powerful jaws, and often brightly colored hairless patches of skin on their faces and buttocks. Baboons are highly social animals that live in troops.
Usage
The word "baboon" is used to refer to the animal itself. It is a countable noun. - Baboons are intelligent primates. - We saw a troop of baboons near the cliff. - The male baboon was much larger than the females.
Examples
- The baboon used its dexterous hands to forage for roots.
- Researchers study the complex social hierarchy of the baboon troop.
- A lone baboon can be vulnerable to predators like leopards.
Advanced Usage
- "To make a baboon of someone": This is an archaic or very rare insulting phrase meaning to make a fool of someone, comparing them to the animal.
- In a figurative or derogatory sense, "baboon" can be used as an insult to imply someone is crude, foolish, or ugly (this usage is offensive).
Variants and Related Words
- Baboonery (noun, rare/archaic): Foolish or brutish behavior.
- Baboonish (adjective): Resembling or characteristic of a baboon, often implying clumsiness or crude behavior.
Synonyms
- Primate: A broader biological order that includes baboons, apes, and humans.
- Monkey: A more general term; baboons are a specific type of Old World monkey.
- Mandrills and drills are closely related primates but are distinct species from baboons.
Idioms
- "Not know your arse from your elbow" (vulgar, UK): Sometimes intensified as "not know your arse from a baboon's elbow," meaning to be utterly ignorant or incompetent. (Note: This is a coarse idiom.)
Noun
-
large terrestrial monkeys having doglike muzzles
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