mandrill

noun

man·​drill ˈman-drəl How to pronounce mandrill (audio)
: a large baboon (Mandrillus sphinx synonym Simia sphinx) of central Africa west of the Congo River with the male having a bright red and blue muzzle

Illustration of mandrill

Illustration of mandrill

Examples of mandrill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kiara, Timon and Pumbaa listen to the tale of the princess’ grandfather Mufasa, courtesy of John Kani’s mandrill Rafiki. Jack Smart, People.com, 18 Dec. 2024 The story is told by the shaman mandrill Rafiki (John Kani) to lion cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), with wise-cracking meerkat and warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa (Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, respectively) annoyingly interjecting entirely too often. Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 17 Dec. 2024 In the film, Mufasa’s tale is told via flashback, with the mandrill Rafiki sharing the story with Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024 It’s told in flashback to Simba and Nala’s daughter, Kiara, by the soothsaying mandrill Rafiki, with the meerkat Timon and the warthog Pumbaa goofing on the sidelines. Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mandrill 

Word History

Etymology

probably from man entry 1 + drill entry 3

First Known Use

1774, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mandrill was in 1774

Dictionary Entries Near mandrill

Cite this Entry

“Mandrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandrill. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

mandrill

noun
man·​drill ˈman-drəl How to pronounce mandrill (audio)
: a large baboon of western Africa with a red rump and in the male with blue ridges on the sides of the nose

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