Cercopithecoid
/ˌsɜːrkoʊˈpɪθɪkɔɪd/noun
Resembling or relating to the Old World monkeys of the family Cercopithecidae.
Did you know?The term preserves Ancient Greek zoological imagery: kerkos meant “tail,” while pithēkos meant “ape,” making the name a compact verbal portrait of an Old World monkey.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kérkos
“Tail; a long or conspicuous tail”
Ancient Greek
Greek
píthēkos
“Ape or monkey”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-oeidḗs
“Resembling; having the form of”
19th Century
New Latin
Cercopithecoidea
“A taxonomic grouping named for its ape-like, tailed members”
19th Century
English
cercopithecoid
“Resembling or relating to a cercopithecoid monkey”
Modern English
English
cercopithecoid
“Of, relating to, or resembling Old World monkeys of the family Cercopithecidae”
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