Cebus
/ˈsiːbəs/noun
A genus of New World monkeys that includes capuchins.
Did you know?Cebus comes from Ancient Greek κῆβος, a rare word for a long-tailed monkey, later revived in scientific Latin for capuchins.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κῆβος (kēbos)
“A long-tailed monkey”
18th Century
Scientific Latin
Cebus
“A taxonomic genus name based on Greek kēbos”
1777
Scientific Latin
Cebus
“Genus established for New World monkeys, including capuchins”
Modern English
English
Cebus
“The zoological genus of capuchin and related monkeys”