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Glite Dictionary
Cercopithecus aethiops

Cercopithecus aethiops

9.9
A small East African monkey called the vervet with white and greenish fur and white hair beside its face
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Cercopithecus aethiops
  • The Cercopithecus aethiops is known for its distinctive facial tufts.

Examples

  • Researchers observed a troop of Cercopithecus aethiops foraging near the riverbank.

  • In Kenya, the Cercopithecus aethiops can often be seen in groups.

  • In East Africa, the Cercopithecus aethiops often interacts with human settlements.

  • The Cercopithecus aethiops is well known for its expressive face and agile movements.

  • In East Africa, the Cercopithecus aethiops is commonly found in open grasslands and near human settlements.

  • A group of Cercopithecus aethiops monkeys can often be seen playing in the trees during the day.

  • The Cercopithecus aethiops displays unique social behaviors that fascinate researchers studying primates.

Synonyms

vervet
vsCercopithecus aethiops
  • South African
1 8.3

A medium-sized African monkey with a black face and hands and a grey body that lives on the savanna

is East African and has white and olive green fur with long face tufts
grivet
vsCercopithecus aethiops
  • UK
9.9

A small East African monkey with olive green fur and long white hair beside its face

is the East African species identified by those coat and tuft features
vervet monkey
vsCercopithecus aethiops
  • South African
7.0

A small African monkey with a black face and hands that lives in woods and grassland

is East African with white and olive green coat and long tufts beside the face

Surface Forms

Cercopithecus aethiops singular
Cercopithecus aethiopses plural

Morphology

Cercopithecus + aethiops

This is a Latin binomial: the first element 'Cercopithecus' names a genus of monkeys, so a learner who knows that constituent can infer the phrase refers to a type of monkey. However, the species epithet 'aethiops' is not transparently meaningful to a B1 learner (and the specific physical description of the species cannot be derived from the parts), so the reference is only partially predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

Cercopithecus aethiops may come from old Greek words: Cercopithecus means 'tailed monkey' and aethiops was a word for people from Africa. That's why this name fits an East African monkey with white tufts by its face, the animal we now call the 'vervet monkey'.