baboon
UK /bəˈbuːn/ · US /ˌbæˈbuːn/ noun
Forms baboons babian babion
- noun An Old World monkey of the genus Papio, having dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks. [from 13th c.]
- noun (colloquial, derogatory) A foolish, stupid or incompetent person.
- noun (highly derogatory, ethnic slur, offensive) A black person.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English babewin, baboin, from Old French babouin, from baboue (“grimace; muzzle”) (whence French babouin), from an imitative origin.
According to Oxford English Dictionary, it was an imitative base *bab-, which is in turn from the (reduplicated) syllable ba, characteristic of early infantile vocalization (and expressive of the movement of the lips in speech).
French babouin was also borrowed into other European languages. Confer Vulgar Latin babouinus ("a grimace"), Vulgar Latin babuinare ("to paint marginal figures in manuscripts"), Italian babbuino, babuino (“baboon”), Dutch baviaan (“baboon”), German Pavian (“baboon”)
For the sense of infant imitation, see English babble (“to blather”), English babe (“darling”), English baby (“infant”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun One of the Old World Quadrumana, of the genera Cynocephalus and Papio; the dog-faced ape. Baboons have dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks. They are mostly African. See Mandrill, and Chacma, and Drill an ape.
Etymology [OE. babewin, baboin, fr.F. babouin, or LL. babewynus. Of unknown origin; cf. D. baviaan, G. pavian, baboon, F. babin lip of ape, dogs, etc., dial. G. bäppe mouth.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “baboon”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details