guenon monkey
- noun
- South African
:
guenón
- The guenon monkey is known for its playful behavior.
Examples
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The distinctive facial hair of the guenon monkey makes it easy to identify among other species.
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The guenon monkey can often be seen leaping from tree to tree in Central African forests.
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Researchers observed a group of guenon monkeys using unique vocalizations to communicate danger.
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We saw a guenon monkey at the zoo last weekend.
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The zookeeper introduced a new guenon monkey to the exhibit, delighting visitors with its playful antics.
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Researchers studied the behavior of the guenon monkey in its natural habitat to understand its social dynamics.
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During our safari, we were thrilled to see a guenon monkey swinging through the trees near the watering hole.
Synonyms
A small African monkey with a long tail and long hair around its face
A very small monkey that lives in wet forests near rivers in central and west Africa
A small African monkey often with bright fur that lives in forests
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward noun phrase where 'guenon' already denotes a type of small monkey and 'monkey' names the animal class, so the combined meaning (a kind of monkey) is directly recoverable from the parts. This NP compounding pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows regular compositional semantics, making it immediately comprehensible to learners who know both constituents.
Etymology
Guenon monkey comes from the French word guenon, which meant 'female monkey' and was used by early explorers and scientists in West Africa. Because they used that local name for these small tree-dwelling monkeys, the word stuck and now refers to this group of African monkeys.
