Titi
/ˈtiːti/noun
Any of several small South American monkeys of the genus Callicebus and related genera.
Did you know?Unlike many animal names, titi has no securely established European or Indo-European root; it is generally treated as a South American loanword of uncertain Indigenous origin.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Indigenous South America
titi
“A local name associated with a small monkey; the precise source language is uncertain.”
16th–18th Century
Portuguese
titi
“A South American monkey name recorded or transmitted through Portuguese usage.”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
Callicebus
“The zoological genus name later applied to titi monkeys; from Greek kallos, “beauty,” and kēbos, “monkey.””
1840s
English
titi
“An English common name for small South American monkeys.”
Modern English
English
titi
“A common name for monkeys of the titi group, especially species classified in or formerly placed in Callicebus.”