Colobus
/kəˈloʊbəs/noun
A genus of African monkeys whose thumbs are greatly reduced or absent.
Did you know?The name refers to the colobus’s tiny or absent thumbs, an anatomical trait reflected in its Greek-derived scientific name.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
kolobos
“Docked, mutilated, or shortened”
Ancient Greek
Greek
koloboun
“To mutilate or cut short”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kolobōma
“A mutilation, defect, or shortened part”
19th Century
New Latin
Colobus
“A zoological genus name for African monkeys with reduced thumbs”
Modern English
English
colobus
“An African monkey of the genus Colobus”