mangabey

noun

man·​ga·​bey ˈmaŋ-gə-(ˌ)bē How to pronounce mangabey (audio)
plural mangabeys
: any of a genus (Cercocebus) of slender long-tailed African monkeys

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web One newborn mangabey, for example, the only baby in its group at the time, earned about 10 minutes of fur cleaning and combing for its mom. Jennifer Welsh, Discover Magazine, 9 Nov. 2010 Only twice, though, has anyone found active virus in wild animals: a rope squirrel from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1980s, and a sooty mangabey, found in Côte d’Ivoire about a decade ago. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 June 2022 The birth of this little adventurer brings the London Zoo’s white-naped mangabey troop to a total of eight. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 29 Aug. 2019 Over the past few weeks, Buzz the mangabey has stayed close to mom, leaving her to learn how to forage and nurse at the same time. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 29 Aug. 2019 To visit Buzz no trips to the moon are needed, the little white-naped mangabey is already on exhibit at the London Zoo. Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 29 Aug. 2019 Although mangabeys are known to use tools, researchers have not yet observed them wielding fly swatters. Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, 12 July 2019 The marked flies kept turning up around the mangabeys, even 12 days later when the group had moved more than 1 kilometer away, the team reports in Molecular Ecology. Eva Frederick, Science | AAAS, 12 July 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mangabey.' 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

French, from Mangabe, town in eastern Madagascar

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mangabey was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near mangabey

Cite this Entry

“Mangabey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mangabey. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.

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