mandrill

noun

man·​drill ˈman-drəl How to pronounce mandrill (audio)
: a large baboon (Mandrillus sphinx synonym Papio sphinx) of central Africa west of the Congo River with the male having a bright red and blue muzzle

Illustration of mandrill

Illustration of mandrill

Examples of mandrill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Baby mandrills nurse for anywhere from six to 12 months and remain close to their mothers even after weaning, according to the release. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024 According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the mandrill is listed as vulnerable. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024 The living animals seized included sacred ibises, white-faced capuchins, tortoises and Burmese pythons, while the 28 dead animals included an alligator, a mandrill and a green-winged macaw, according to a search warrant. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2023 Authorities also recovered animal body parts such as a giraffe head, zebra legs and a mandrill head, according to a search warrant obtained by PEOPLE Dozens of animals have been found dead at a Virginia zoo as part of an animal cruelty investigation launched by state authorities. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 11 Dec. 2023 The mandrills could detect infection status based on smell alone: mandrills presented with two bamboo stalks rubbed in feces strongly avoided a stalk rubbed with droppings from another mandrill that had lots of parasites. Scientific American, 1 July 2020 Riccardo Pansini and Jan de Ruiter from Durham University watched a 18-year-old mandrill called JC clean his toenails out using small splinters. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2011 The ride sees guests sitting in the arms of a mandrill while dodging jungle hazards before rocketing to the summit of the 55ft tall Jaguar Shrine – and then travelling the track backwards. K.j. Yossman, Variety, 14 May 2023 While jewelers have immortalized living things as quirky as the mandrill, the jellyfish and the magpie, Fasel, whose Beautiful Creatures exhibition finally opened in June 2021 for a spectacular three-month run, noted some recurring themes in the animal jewelry oeuvre. Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 15 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mandrill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

probably from man entry 1 + drill entry 3

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mandrill was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near mandrill

Cite this Entry

“Mandrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandrill. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mandrill

noun
man·​drill ˈman-drəl How to pronounce mandrill (audio)
: a large baboon of western Africa with a red rump and in the male with blue ridges on the sides of the nose

More from Merriam-Webster on mandrill

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