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monkey

n. · v.
US //ˈməŋki// UK //mˈʌnki// mon·key
  1. 1 the animal (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a small animal with a long tail that lives in hot countries and climbs trees.

    any member of the clade Simiiformes, excluding the Hominoidea (apes), typically characterised by a tail and arboreal habits.

    Example

    We saw a monkey swinging through the trees at the zoo yesterday.

    Example

    The researchers observed the monkey using a primitive tool to extract insects from the bark of the mahogany tree.
  2. 2 a playful person (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a person, especially a child, who is very active or likes to play tricks.

    an informal and often affectionate term for a mischievous or playful person, particularly a child.

    Example

    Come here, you little monkey, and put your shoes on.

    Example

    The teacher couldn't help but smile at the little monkey who had hidden her whiteboard markers as a prank.
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  1. 3 money amount (n.)
    C1 Advanced British English Slang

    a slang word for five hundred pounds.

    a slang term representing the sum of five hundred pounds sterling.

    Example

    He sold his old car for a monkey.

    Example

    The dealer offered him a monkey for the watch, but he knew it was worth significantly more on the open market.

    Teacher's tip

    This is very specific to London/UK slang; learners should be aware of it but avoid using it in professional contexts.

  2. 4 an addiction (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Informal Slang

    a strong need for a drug or a bad habit that is hard to stop.

    a persistent drug addiction or a psychological compulsion, often used in the phrase 'a monkey on one's back'.

    Example

    He finally got the monkey off his back and stayed sober for a year.

    Example

    The debt had become a monkey on his back, preventing him from making any long-term investments or career changes.
  3. 5 to meddle or play (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to play with something or try to fix it in a way that might break it.

    to meddle, tinker, or interfere with something in a casual or unskilled manner; often takes the preposition 'with'.

    Example

    Don't monkey with the television settings or you will lose the picture.

    Example

    He spent the entire afternoon monkeying around with the engine, though he lacked the technical expertise to actually repair the fault.

    Usage

    Usually used as 'monkey around' or 'monkey with'.
Origin

Uncertain: * May be derived from monk + -ey (diminutive suffix), or borrowed from Middle Low German Moneke, the name of the son of Martin the Ape in Reynard the Fox (which may represent an unattested colloquial Middle Low German moneke, *moneken), itself of uncertain origin: ** Possibly derived from a Romance term represented by Late Middle French monne (whence Modern French mone (“monkey”)) or earlier Old French monnekin (“monkey”), originally Monnekin, the name of a monkey in Li Dis d'Entendement. Compare also Old French and Middle French monin (“monkey”). *** The French terms may have been borrowed from Italian monna (“monkey”), from Old Spanish mona (“female monkey”), itself a shortening of mamona, variant of maimón, from Arabic مَيْمُون (maymūn, “baboon”)). *** However, Old French monnekin may alternatively be unrelated to the other terms, instead being a borrowing of Early Middle Dutch mannekin (a diminutive of man, literally “little human”), and if so monkey is a doublet of mannequin; see modern Dutch manneken.

Idioms16 entries

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