colobus
UK[ˈkɒləbəs]US[ˈkɑːləbəs]
n
A slender, long-tailed African monkey with mainly black and white fur and no thumb.
Etymology
The name 'colobus' is derived from the Greek term 'kolobós', which describes something that is shortened or mutilated. This name was applied to these monkeys by early naturalists due to their most distinctive anatomical feature: a vestigial or completely absent thumb. The literal meaning, "the mutilated one," refers directly to this truncated digit, which contrasts with other primates. Through scientific taxonomy, this descriptive Greek adjective was Latinized to become the permanent genus name, Colobus, for this group of Old World monkeys.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from modern scientific Latin. It originates from the Greek word 'kolobós', meaning 'docked' or 'mutilated'.
Examples
The black-and-white colobus monkey is known for its spectacular leaps through the forest canopy.
Colobus monkeys have a complex stomach adapted for digesting leaves.
Conservation efforts are crucial for the endangered Angolan colobus.