rhesus monkey

noun

rhe·​sus monkey ˈrē-səs- 

: a pale brown Asian macaque (Macaca mulatta) often used in medical research

called also rhesus, rhesus macaque

Examples of rhesus monkey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Researchers in China have successfully cloned the first rhesus monkey, a species widely used in medical research because of its physiological similarity to humans. —Sorcha Bradley, The Week Uk, theweek, 23 Jan. 2024

Amit Dave / Reuters To protect public areas from rhesus monkeys, which are a nuisance and often attack people, officials have put up life-size cutouts of langurs, a bigger primate that the rhesus monkeys find intimidating. —Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023

Military personnel started comparing the adjuvant combinations on rhesus monkeys at an Army facility in Thailand and ran clinical trials that tested the most promising pairs in humans and devised dosing strategies. —Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 4 Oct. 2023

For example, in one study of 401 rhesus monkey pregnancies, only three mothers died in childbirth. —Jared Diamond, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Rhesus, genus of monkeys, from Latin, a mythical king of Thrace, from Greek Rhēsos

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rhesus monkey

noun

rhe·​sus monkey ˌrē-səs- 

: a pale brown Asian monkey often used in medical research

Medical Definition

rhesus monkey

noun

: a pale brown Asian monkey of the genus Macaca (M. mulatta) often used in medical research