monkey

1. Any of various long-tailed, medium-sized members of the order Primates, including the macaques, baboons, guenons, capuchins, marmosets, and tamarins and excluding the anthropoid apes and the prosimians.
2. One who behaves in a way suggestive of a monkey, as a mischievous child or a mimic.
3. The iron block of a pile driver.
4. Slang. A person who is mocked, duped, or made to appear a fool: They made a monkey out of him.
5. Slang. Drug addiction: have a monkey on one's back.

1. To play, fiddle, trifle, or tamper with something.
2. To behave in a mischievous or apish manner: Stop monkeying around!

To imitate or mimic; ape.

[Origin unknown.]

An adaptive or evolutionary grade among the primates, represented by members of two of the three modern anthropoid superfamilies. The New World, platyrrhine monkeys (Ateloidea) and Old World, catarrhine forms (Cercopithecoidea) probably reached a monkey level of adaptation independently some time after their separation from a common ancestor, perhaps 40 million years ago. The term monkey is not indicative of taxonomic or phylogenetic relationship: the closest relatives of the cercopithecoids are not the ateloid monkeys but the Old World apes and humans.

The Ateloidea comprise two families, while the living Cercopithecoidea are today considered to comprise only one family, with two subfamilies. A modern classification of the Anthropoidea follows:

Hyporder Anthropoidea

     Infraorder Platyrrhini

          Superfamily Ateloidea (New World or platyrrhine monkeys)

               Family Atelidae

                    Subfamily Atelinae (howler and spider monkeys)

                    Subfamily Pitheciinae (saki, owl, and titi monkeys)

               Family Cebidae

                    Subfamily Cebinae (capuchin and squirrel monkeys)

                    Subfamily Callitrichinae (marmosets and tamarins)

                    Subfamily Branisellinae (extinct early ateloids)

     Infraorder Catarrhini (Old World anthropoids)

          Parvorder Eucatarrhini (modern catarrhines)

               Superfamily Hominoidea (gibbons, great apes, and humans)

          Superfamily Cercopithecoidea

               Family Cercopithecidae (Old World or catarrhine monkeys)

                    Subfamily Cercopithecinae (cheek-pouched monkeys: macaques, baboons, guenons, and mangabeys)

                    Subfamily Colobinae (leaf eaters: langurs and colobus)

                    Subfamily Victoriapithecinae (extinct early cercopithecids)

Parvorder Eocatarrhini (archaic catarrhines)

     Family Pliopithecidae (later archaic catarrhines)

     Family Propliopithecidae (early archaic catarrhines)

Infraorder Paracatarrhini (extinct early anthropoids)

     Family Parapithecidae (extinct Egyptian monkeys)

     Family Oligopithecidae (extinct archaic anthropoids)

Old World species are found throughout all the warmer regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, except Australia and Madagascar. Many of the familiar monkeys are included in this family, such as the rhesus macaque, Barbary “ape”, mangabey, baboon, and mandrill.

The New World monkeys or ateloids occupy forested areas from southern Mexico to Argentina. They are divided into two main groups, or families (their major characteristics are given in the table). All are arboreal, including a few with prehensile tails; there is no living form, nor any evidence of a fossil form, that has come to the ground habitually. Familiar monkeys included in this group are marmosets, capuchins, titis, sakis and nakaris, howler monkeys, and spider and wool monkeys. See also Apes; Primates.

noun

A person who is easily deceived or victimized: butt³, dupe, fool, gull, lamb, pushover, victim. Informal sucker. Slang fall guy, gudgeon, mark, patsy, pigeon, sap¹. Chiefly British mug. See wise/foolish.

verb

1. To handle something idly, ignorantly, or destructively: fiddle, fool, meddle, mess, tamper, tinker. See help/harm/harmless, touch/not touch.
2. To move one's fingers or hands in a nervous or aimless fashion: fiddle, fidget, fool, play, putter, tinker, toy, trifle, twiddle. See touch/not touch.

Idioms beginning with monkey:
monkey business

See also fool (monkey) around; make a fool (monkey) of; more fun than a barrel of monkeys; throw a monkey wrench.

Definition: fiddle, tamper with
Antonyms: leave alone

A vernacular term applied to a lower primate animal that is often used for experimental purposes in medicine and stomatology. Its dental and oral structures are morphologically and functionally similar to those of human beings, permitting an associated correlation of experimental findings. See also Macaca.

For more information on monkey, visit Britannica.com.

Monkey or the monkey king Sun Wukong was said to have accompanied the famous Chinese Buddhist (see Chinese Buddhism) monk Xuanzang (see Xuanzang) on his trip to India in search of the sacred sūtras (see Sūtra). Monkey was a trickster of sorts, who was born from a stone egg (see Virgin Birth) that had been in the world since the creation. He was made king of the monkeys and reigned for three hundred years until he decided to go in search of immortality. Xuanzang taught him the path to immortality and gave Monkey the name Sun Wukong, meaning “enlightened monkey.” From the monkey, Sun also learned how to change forms and to fly. In China he defeated a monster and stole a magic weapon from the Dragon King (see Chinese Deities, Chinese Emperors), with which he beat the emissaries from Hell who refused to believe in his immortality. He also crossed his name off of the list of the dead. When Yama (see Yama), the king of the Underworld (see Underworld), and the Dragon King complained of Monkey's arrogance, it was decided by the great Jade Emperor himself that Monkey should be taken to Heaven where he could be controlled. But in Heaven, Monkey committed one arrogant sin after another. He even drank Laozi's (see Laozi) elixir of immortality. After several attempts to destroy him, the Jade Emperor asked for Buddha's help and eventually Monkey was imprisoned. It was 500 years later that Guanyin (see Guanyin) had him released on the condition that he accompany Xuanzang on his journey to India. Monkey, Xuanzang, and their companion, the worldly Pigsy, received the sacred sūtras from the Buddha (see Gautama Buddha) himself. After a final trial set by the Buddha, the three companions were allowed into Heaven and Monkey became the god of Victory.

In general, monkeys are important figures in the mythologies of Asia (see, for example, Hanumān, Jātaka Tales, Momotaro).

Members of the families Cebidae (New World monkeys) and Cercopithecidae (Old World monkeys). Those families and the families Pongidae (anthropoid apes) and Callithricidae (marmosets) make up the suborder Anthropoidea (syn. Simiae). They are all diurnal animals with great anatomical similarity to humans, including orbital cavities that are closed laterally, digits that end in nails and pectoral mammary glands. There are minor differences between the New World and Old World monkeys and the total number of genera and species is very large. Individual species are dealt with under their individual titles.

• m. dog — see affenpinscher.
• m. jaw — undershot jaw.
• m. mouth — common deformity in goats, especially the breeds selected for the Roman nose; the upper jaw is shorter than the lower; undershot jaw.
• m. muscle — the triceps brachii muscle of the shoulder; a term used by Greyhound fanciers.
• m. pox — see monkeypox.
• m. rope — cynanchum africanum.
• m. terrier — see affenpinscher.

n.

An arboreal animal which makes itself at home in genealogical trees.

We typically think about monkeys as foolish, humorous and curious. Dream monkeys can represent any of these qualities. The also might be alluding to the meanings of such common idioms as to "monkey around," "monkey business." or to "make a monkey" out of someone.

For other uses, see Monkey (disambiguation).

Monkeys
A young male White-fronted Capuchin (Cebus albifrons).
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Suborder: Haplorrhini Infraorder: Simiiformes in part
Approximate worldwide distribution of monkeys. Old World monkeys in red, New World in orange.
Families
Cebidae Aotidae Pitheciidae Atelidae Cercopithecidae

A monkey is any cercopithecoid (Old World monkey) or platyrrhine (New World monkey) primate. All primates that are not prosimians (lemurs and tarsiers) or apes are monkeys. The 264 known extant monkey species represent two of the three groupings of simian primates (the third group being the 21 species of apes). Monkeys are usually smaller and/or longer-tailed than apes.

The New World monkeys are classified within the parvorder Platyrrhini, whereas the Old World monkeys (superfamily Cercopithecoidea) form part of the parvorder Catarrhini, which also includes the apes. Thus, scientifically speaking, monkeys are paraphyletic (not a single coherent group), and Old World monkeys are actually more closely related to the apes than they are to the New World monkeys.

Due to its size (up to 1 m/3 ft) the Mandrill is often thought to be an ape, but it is actually an Old World monkey. Also, a few monkey species have the word "ape" in their common name.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Etymology 3 Classification 4 Relationship with humans 4.1 As service animals for the disabled 4.2 In experiments 4.2.1 In space 4.3 As food 4.4 Literature 4.5 Religion and worship 4.6 Entertainment 4.7 Zodiac 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Characteristics

Bonnet Macaque in Nelliampathi mountains, Kerala, South India.

Monkeys range in size from the Pygmy Marmoset, at 140 to 160 millimetres (5-6 in) long (plus tail) and 120 to 140 grams (4-5 oz) in weight, to the male Mandrill, almost 1 metre (3.3 ft) long and weighing 35 kilograms (77 lb). Some are arboreal (living in trees) while others live on the savanna; diets differ among the various species but may contain any of the following: fruit, leaves, seeds, nuts, flowers, eggs, and small animals (including insects and spiders).

Some characteristics are shared among the groups; most New World monkeys have prehensile tails while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all. Some have trichromatic color vision like that of humans, others are dichromats or monochromats. Although both the New and Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward facing eyes, the faces of Old World and New World monkeys look very different, though again, each group shares some features such as the types of noses, cheeks, and rumps.

Etymology

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "monkey" may originate in a German version of the Reynard the Fox fable, published circa 1580. In this version of the fable, a character named Moneke is the son of Martin the Ape. The word Moneke may have been derived from the Italian monna, which means "a female ape". The name Moneke likely persisted over time due to the popularity of Reynard the Fox.

A group of monkeys may be referred to as a mission or a tribe.

Classification

Common Squirrel Monkey.

Crab-eating Macaque in Thailand.

The following list shows where the various monkey families (bolded) are placed in the Primate classification.

• ORDER PRIMATES
  • Suborder Strepsirrhini: non-tarsier prosimians
  • Suborder Haplorrhini: tarsiers, monkeys and apes
    • Infraorder Tarsiiformes
      • Family Tarsiidae: tarsiers
    • Infraorder Simiiformes: simians
      • Parvorder Platyrrhini: New World monkeys
        • Family Cebidae: marmosets, tamarins, capuchins, and squirrel monkeys (56 species)
        • Family Aotidae: night monkeys, owl monkeys, douroucoulis (8 species)
        • Family Pitheciidae: titis, sakis and uakaris (41 species)
        • Family Atelidae: howler, spider and woolly monkeys (24 species)
      • Parvorder Catarrhini
        • Superfamily Cercopithecoidea
          • Family Cercopithecidae: Old World monkeys (135 species)
        • Superfamily Hominoidea: apes
          • Family Hylobatidae: gibbons ("lesser apes") (13 species)
          • Family Hominidae: great apes including humans (7 species)

Note that the smallest grouping that contains them all is the Simiiformes, the simians, which also contains the apes. Calling apes "monkeys" is considered scientifically incorrect as apes are distinctly defined as different from monkeys.^[1] Apes were included in earlier use of the term, predating modern classifications.^[2] Including some or all apes (other than humans) remained the common usage in the early 20th century^[3] and is still in colloquial use.^[4] Calling either a simian is correct.

Relationship with humans

The many species of monkey have varied relationships with humans. Some are kept as pets, others used as model organisms in laboratories or in space missions. They may be killed in monkey drives when they threatened agriculture, or serve as service animals for the disabled.

In religion and culture, the monkey often represents quick-wittedness and mischief.

As service animals for the disabled

Some organizations train capuchin monkeys as monkey helpers to assist quadriplegics and other people with severe spinal cord injuries or mobility impairments. After being socialized in a human home as infants, the monkeys undergo extensive training before being placed with a quadriplegic. Around the house, the monkeys help out by doing tasks including microwaving food, washing the quadriplegic's face, and opening drink bottles.

In experiments

Covance primate-testing lab, Vienna, Virginia, 2004-5.^[5]

Macaques, especially the Rhesus Macaque, and African Green Monkeys are widely used in animal testing facilities, either wild-caught or purpose-bred.^[6] They are used primarily because of their relative ease of handling, their fast reproductive cycle (compared to apes), and their psychological and physical similarity to humans. In the United States, around 50,000 non-human primates, most of them monkeys, have been used in experiments every year since 1973;^[7] 10,000 monkeys were used in the European Union in 2004.

Sam, a rhesus macaque, was flown to a height of 55 miles (89 km) by NASA in 1959.

The use of monkeys in laboratories is controversial. Some claim^[who?] that their use is cruel and produces little information of value, and there have been many protests, vandalism to testing facilities, and threats to workers. Others claim^[who?] that it has led to many important medical breakthroughs such as the rabies vaccine, understanding of human reproduction and basic knowledge about brain function, and that the prevention of harm to humans should be a higher priority than the possible harm done to monkeys. The topic has become a popular cause for animal rights and animal welfare groups.

In space

A number of countries have used monkeys as part of their space exploration programmes, including the United States and France. The first monkey in space was Albert II who flew in the US-launched V-2 rocket in June 14, 1949.

As food

Monkey brains are eaten as a delicacy in South Asia, China, and Africa.^[8] In traditional Islamic dietary laws, monkeys are forbidden to be eaten. However, monkeys are sometimes eaten in parts of Africa, where they can be sold as "bushmeat".^[9]

Literature

Sun Wukong (the "Monkey King"), a character who figures prominently in Chinese mythology, is the main protagonist in the classic comic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

Monkeys are prevalent in numerous books, television programs, and movies. The television series Monkey and the literary characters Monsieur Eek and Curious George are all examples.

Simian statue at a Buddhist shrine in Tokyo, Japan.

However, pop culture often incorrectly labels apes, particularly chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas, as monkeys. Terry Pratchett makes use of the distinction in his Discworld novels, in which the Librarian of the Unseen University is an orangutan who gets very violent if referred to as a monkey.

The Winged monkeys are prominent characters in The Wizard of Oz.

Religion and worship

Hanuman, a prominent divine entity in Hinduism, is a monkey-like humanoid. He may bestow longevity.

In Buddhism, the monkey is an early incarnation of Buddha but may also represent trickery and ugliness. The Chinese Buddhist "mind monkey" metaphor refers to the unsettled, restless state of human mind. Monkey is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolizing greed, with the tiger representing anger and the deer lovesickness.

The Mizaru or three wise monkeys are revered in Japanese folklore.^[10]

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped nature.^[11] They placed emphasis on animals and often depicted monkeys in their art.^[12]

Entertainment

The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page.

In the Tamil country, monkeys were used for entertainment. The owner trains monkeys to perform gymnastics in public. Even today, it could be practiced in remote villages.^{[citation needed]}

Zodiac

The Monkey is the ninth in the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The next time that the monkey will appear as the zodiac sign will be in the year 2016.

See also

Mammals portal

• List of monkeys

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Definition of Monkey in Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary
3. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911: Monkey
4. ^ Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed: Monkey
5. ^ "Covance Cruelty", People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
6. ^ "The supply and use of primates in the EU", European Biomedical Research Association.
7. ^ [2]PDF (136 KiB)^{[dead link]}
8. ^ Some bravery as a side dish
9. ^ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020403025234.htm
10. ^ Cooper, JC (1992). Symbolic and Mythological Animals. London: Aquarian Press. pp. 161–63. ISBN 1-85538-118-4. 
11. ^ Benson, Elizabeth, The Mochica: A Culture of Peru. New York, NY: Praeger Press. 1972
12. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1997.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: monkeys

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Monkey

• "The Impossible Housing and Handling Conditions of Monkeys in Research Laboratories", by Viktor Reinhardt, International Primate Protection League, August 2001
• The Problem with Pet Monkeys: Reasons Monkeys Do Not Make Good Pets, an article by veterinarian Lianne McLeod on About.com
• Helping Hands: Monkey helpers for the disabled, a U.S. national non-profit organization based in Boston Massachusetts that places specially trained capuchin monkeys with people who are paralyzed or who live with other severe mobility impairments

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - abe, abekat, spilopmager
v. intr. - lave abekattestreger, fjolle rundt
v. tr. - efterabe

idioms:

• make a monkey of    gøre grin med
• monkey business    abekattestreger
• monkey nut    jordnød
• monkey puzzle    [bot.] abetræ, araucaris
• monkey tricks    abestreger

Nederlands (Dutch)
aap, vijfhonderd pond/ dollar, doorsneeman, heitoestel, luchtgalerij, voor de gek houden, de aap uithangen

Français (French)
n. - (Zool) singe, (fig) galopin, (GB) cinq cent livres sterling, (Tech) mouton
v. intr. - perdre son temps, faire l'idiot
v. tr. - singer, imiter

idioms:

• make a monkey of    se payer la tête de
• monkey business    affaire louche, combine(s), singeries
• monkey nut    (GB) cacahuète
• monkey puzzle    (Bot) araucaria
• monkey tricks    man¯uvres louches, combine(s), singeries

Deutsch (German)
n. - Affe
v. - herumspielen

idioms:

• make a monkey of    dem Spott aussetzen
• monkey business    krumme Geschäfte
• monkey nut    (Bot.) Erdnuß
• monkey puzzle    (Bot.) Chilefichte
• monkey tricks    Dummheiten

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) πίθηκος (κν. μαϊμού)
v. - πιθηκίζω

idioms:

• make a monkey of    γελοιοποιώ
• monkey business    βρομοδουλειά, ματσαραγκιά
• monkey nut    (φυτολ.) αράπικο φιστίκι
• monkey puzzle    (φυτολ.) αρωκάρια
• monkey tricks    διαολιές

Italiano (Italian)
scimmia, scimmiottare

idioms:

• make a monkey of    ridicolizzare
• monkey business    imbroglio
• monkey nut    arachide
• monkey puzzle    araucaria (bot.)
• monkey tricks    buffonate

Português (Portuguese)
n. - macaco (m), criança travessa (f), bate-estacas (m) (constr.)
v. - traquinar

idioms:

• make a monkey of    ridicularizar
• monkey business    artimanha (f)
• monkey nut    amendoim com casca (m)
• monkey puzzle    araucária do Chile (f) (Bot.)
• monkey tricks    macaquice (f) (coloq.)

Русский (Russian)
обезьяна, кривляка, шалун

idioms:

• make a monkey of    сделать кого-л. посмешищем
• monkey business    бессмысленная работа, шутливая выходка, темные дела
• monkey nut    арахис
• monkey puzzle    араукария
• monkey tricks    шалости

Español (Spanish)
n. - mono, mico
v. intr. - hacer travesuras, hacer diabluras
v. tr. - imitar, remedar

idioms:

• make a monkey of    tomar el pelo a alguien, ridiculizar
• monkey business    tejemanejes, trampas, diabluras
• monkey nut    maní, cacahuete
• monkey puzzle    araucaria
• monkey tricks    travesuras, diabluras

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - apa, hejare, 500 pund (dollar) (sl.)
v. - slå dank, apa efter

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
猴子, 打桩锤, 顽童, 耍弄的对象, 出丑的人, 淘气, 胡闹, 模仿, 嘲弄

idioms:

• make a monkey of    愚弄, 耍弄
• monkey business    胡闹, 恶作剧, 欺骗, 耍花招
• monkey nut    落花生
• monkey puzzle    智利南美衫
• monkey tricks    恶作剧, 把戏

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 猴子, 打樁錘, 頑童, 耍弄的對象, 出醜的人
v. intr. - 淘氣, 胡鬧
v. tr. - 模仿, 嘲弄

idioms:

• make a monkey of    愚弄, 耍弄
• monkey business    胡鬧, 惡作劇, 欺騙, 耍花招
• monkey nut    落花生
• monkey puzzle    智利南美衫
• monkey tricks    惡作劇, 把戲

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 원숭이, 장난꾸러기, 작은 통로
v. intr. - 장난하다
v. tr. - 놀리다, 흉내내다

idioms:

• make a monkey of    ~를 놀리다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - サル, いたずら小僧, 500ポンド, 500ドル, 猿, 麻薬中毒
v. - いたずらをする, ふざける, 真似をする, からかう

idioms:

• make a monkey of    ばかにする
• monkey business    ごまかし, ずるいいたずら
• monkey nut    落花生
• monkey puzzle    チリマツ
• monkey tricks    いたずら
• monkey wrench    モンキーレンチ, 邪魔

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) يتقردن (فعل) قرد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קוף, שובב, חמש מאות דולר, פטיש מכני לתקיעת מוטות באדמה‬
v. intr. - ‮עשה מעשי קונדס‬
v. tr. - ‮חיקה, לעג‬

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