Baboon
/bəˈbuːn/noun
A large Old World monkey with a long dog-like snout and large canine teeth.
Did you know?“Baboon” entered English through French and likely traces back to an Old French word for a kind of monkey, ultimately linked to a childlike or foolish-sounding base that may have been imitative rather than mystical.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kēbos
“a kind of monkey or ape”
Late Latin
Latin
cēbus
“a monkey”
Old French
Old French
babouin
“a baboon or monkey”
Middle English
English
babewin
“a baboon; later a monkey-like creature”
Modern English
English
baboon
“a large Old World monkey of the genus Papio”
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