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Mandrill

 - 3 dictionary results

man⋅drill

[man-dril]
–noun
a large baboon, Mandrillus (or Papio) sphinx, of western Africa, the male of which has a face brightly marked with blue and scarlet and a muzzle that is ribbed: an endangered species.

Origin:
1735–45; man 1 + drill 4
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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man·drill   (mān'drəl)   
n.  A large fierce baboon (Papio sphinx syn. Mandrillus sphinx) of western Africa, having a beard, crest, and mane and brilliant blue, purple, and scarlet facial markings in the adult male.

[man + drill4.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

mandrill 
"large baboon," 1744, perhaps ultimately from an African language, but formed into Eng. components man + drill "baboon," which is of W.African origin. The earliest reference reports the name is what the animal was "called by the white men in this country" (Sierra Leone).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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