Dictionary

baboon en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• bəbo͞onʹ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ˌbæˈbuːn/ (US)
• /bəˈbuːn/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English babewin, baboin, from Old French babouin, from baboue (“grimace; muzzle”) (whence French babouin), from an imitative origin. According to Oxford English Dictionary, it was an imitative base *bab-, which is in turn from the (reduplicated) syllable ba, characteristic of early infantile vocalization (and expressive of the movement of the lips in speech). French babouin was also borrowed into other European languages. Confer Vulgar Latin babouinus ("a grimace"), Vulgar Latin babuinare ("to paint marginal figures in manuscripts"), Italian babbuino, babuino (“baboon”), Dutch baviaan (“baboon”), German Pavian (“baboon”) For the sense of infant imitation, see English babble (“to blather”), English babe (“darling”), English baby (“infant”).

Meanings

1. An Old World monkey of the genus Papio, having dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks.
   • He draws eclectically on studies of baboons, descriptive anthropological accounts of hunter-gatherer societies and, in a few cases, the fossil record. 2012 March-April, John T. Jost, “Social Justice: Is It in Our Nature (and Our Future)?”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2017, page 162:
   • Mix swallowed the comment he wanted to make, that the council hall stank like a congress of baboons. But he was in no position to insult his host, nor should he. The man was only expressing the attitude of his time. 1971, Philip José Farmer, Down in the Black Gang: and others; a story collection, Nelson Doubleday, page 79:
2. (colloquial, derogatory) A foolish, stupid or incompetent person.
3. (colloquial, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, qualifier:highly derogatory, slur) A foolish, stupid or incompetent person. ▸ A black person.
   • The 50-year-old steel worker said he had meant to type Sawyers should win the "buffoon d'Or". He claimed a misspelling, of "bafoon", had autocorrected on his device to "baboon". 2021 November, “Romaine Sawyers: Albion fan jailed for racist post loses appeal”, in BBC:
   • Animalistic dehumanisation, 'simianisation' and the animalising of black bodies through metaphorically likening these individuals to 'baboons,' 'monkeys' or 'apes' reveals racialised animality discourse in South Africa. 2022 October, René Cornish, Kieran Tranter, “Dismissals for Social Media Hate Speech in South Africa: Animalistic Dehumanisation and the Circulation of Racist Words and Images”, in Springer Nature Link:

Forms

Deriveds

chacma baboon · dog-faced baboon · Anubis baboon · baboon syndrome · sphinx baboon · baboon-monkey · baboonery · wood baboon · lion-tailed baboon · sheboon · western baboon · Guinea baboon · gelada baboon · babooning · baboonish · Cape baboon · Arabian baboon · baboonize · baboonlike · hamadryas baboon · orange baboon tarantula · baboon spider · olive baboon · sacred baboon · babooness · Kinda baboon · huboon · antibaboon · yellow baboon · ursine baboon

Descendants

babun · baboun · بابون · babun · बबून · babun · babŵn · babun · babún · babun · बबून · babun

Relateds

chacma · mandrill · drill

Translations (94)

is bavíani (primate) · mt babwin (primate) · yo gbòrògì (primate) · eo paviano (primate) · da bavian (primate) · cy babŵn (primate) · io babuino (primate) · ru бабуи́н (primate) · nn bavian (primate) · ka პავიანი (primate) · lv paviāns (primate) · rgn babuvén (primate) · tr babun (primate) · st tshwene (primate) · ga babún (primate) · fi paviaani (primate) · uk павіа́н (primate) · nv mágí bíchį́į́htsohígíí (primate) · ikx tsɔr (primate) · chr Ꮖ̃Ꮚ̃Ꮒ (primate) · el μπαμπουίνος (primate) · az pavian (primate) · lt pavianas (primate) · is hundapi (primate) · fa عنتر (primate) · de Pavian (primate) · naq ǀnerab (primate) · hy պավիան (primate) · vo dogalep (primate) · ab апавиан (primate) · wo goŋ (primate) · sq babuin (primate) · kl baviani (primate) · af bobbejaan (primate) · tr şebek (primate) · lb Pavian (primate) · yo irò (primate) · ja ヒヒ (primate) · is bavían (primate) · mt babun (primate) · ko 비비 (primate) · pt babão (primate) · mi touwhero (primate) · zu imfene (primate) · it babbuino (primate) · ca babuí (primate) · zza babun (diq) (primate) · es babuino (primate) · ckb بابوون (primate) · om jaldeesii (primate) · ru павиа́н (primate) · ja 狒々 (primate) · ar رُبَّاح (primate) · rgn babuén (primate) · bsw jaldessa (primate) · et paavian (primate) · sh pavijan (primate) · sv babian (primate) · ha bika (primate) · bg песогла́вец (primate) · sh babun (primate) · fa بابون (primate) · fr babouin (primate) · bg павиа́н (primate) · th บาบูน (primate) · ast babuín (primate) · vo babun (primate) · egy i-a:n-E32 (primate) · la papio (primate) · pl pawian (primate) · cop ⲉⲛ (primate) · sw nyani (primate) · pt babuíno (primate) · sk pavián (primate) · nl baviaan (primate) · cmn 狒狒 (primate) · tn tshwene (primate) · es babón (primate) · cs pavián (primate) · mr बबून (primate) · ast papión (primate) · ny nyani (primate) · nb bavian (primate) · hi बबून (primate) · hu pávián (primate) · ln mboma (primate) · sl pavijan (primate) · ro babuin (primate) · vi khỉ đầu chó (primate) · bo ཧྥེ་ཧྥེ (primate) · ar بَابُون (primate) · ms babun (primate) · kw baboun (primate) · dag kparli (primate)