marmoset

Definitions

  • WordNet 3.6
    • n marmoset small soft-furred South American and Central American monkey with claws instead of nails
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
    • n Marmoset (Zoöl) Any one of numerous species of small South American monkeys of the genera Hapale and Midas, family Hapalidæ. They have long soft fur, and a hairy, nonprehensile tail. They are often kept as pets. Called also squirrel monkey.
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Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
    • n marmoset A little ape or monkey.
    • n marmoset Now, specifically, a small squirrel-like South American monkey of the family Hapalidæ, or Mididæ (which see for technical characters). There are numerous species, referred to two leading genera, Hapale and Midas, and known by many names, as squirrel-monkeys, oustitis, tamarins, etc. They are the smallest of the monkey tribe, ranging from a few inches to a foot in length, with a long, bushy, non-prehensile tail, and thick, soft, silky or woolly fur, in some species lengthened into conspicuous ear-tufts or a kind of mane. The coloration is extremely variable. The thumb of the hand is not opposable, but the inner toe of the hind foot serves as a thumb, and has a flat nail, all the other digits of both extremities being armed with sharp claws of great service in climbing. Marmosets are confined to tropical America, having their center of abundance in northern South America; they live in the woods, and feed chiefly upon insects. They are extremely sensitive to cold, but with proper care may be kept in confinement, and make amusing pets, though their intelligence is low. Characteristic examples are the common black-eared marmoset, Hapale jacchus, and the marakina or tamarin, Midas rosalia. See cut under Hapale.
    • n marmoset An ugly little fellow; a conceited “puppy.”
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Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
    • n Marmoset mär′mo-zet a small variety of American monkey.
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Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
F. marmouset, a grotesque figure, an ugly little boy, prob. fr. LL. marmoretum, fr. L. marmor, marble. Perhaps confused with marmot,. See Marble
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
Fr. marmouset, a little grotesque figure beside a fountain—L. marmor, marble.

Usage

In literature:

They cared not if she had the face of a marmoset, or the figure of pot-bellied Kovudoo himself.
"The Son of Tarzan" by Edgar Rice Burroughs
A marmoset landed on the shoulder of Dr. Fu-Manchu and peered grotesquely into the dreadful yellow face.
"The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu" by Sax Rohmer
It was Dr. Fu-Manchu's marmoset.
"The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu" by Sax Rohmer
He stuck his fork in the blanched whiskerage of his marmoset, and exclaimed: 'I can't!
"Evan Harrington, Complete" by George Meredith
Barbara, Duchess of Cleveland and Countess of Southampton, had a marmoset for a page.
"The Man Who Laughs" by Victor Hugo
She looked upon Hetty as still only a babe, a marmoset born to amuse her own hours of ennui.
"Hetty Gray" by Rosa Mulholland
It was Dr. Fu-Manchu's marmoset.
"The Devil Doctor" by Sax Rohmer
Dodo shrilly "gave notice," while the marmoset was dying in her napkin.
"The Guests Of Hercules" by C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
It was a peculiar and remarkable and altogether extraordinary monkey, that tiny marmoset.
"Martin Rattler" by R.M. Ballantyne
MARMOSETS, OR MIDAS MONKEYS.
"The Western World" by W.H.G. Kingston
The greybeard with the marmoset face and leathern apron let us out at the red door: he had a history.
"In the Tail of the Peacock" by Isabel Savory
The marmoset was to substitute, then, for human occupants of the big rocket.
"The Scarlet Lake Mystery" by Harold Leland Goodwin
Marmosets pull at the pompous gowns Of burgesses.
"A Pushcart at the Curb" by John Dos Passos
He was absurdly reminded of a girl in Java who nursed a black marmoset against her yellow breast.
"A Bed of Roses" by W. L. George
The limnotherium, while related to the lemurs, had some affinities with the American marmosets.
"Degeneracy" by Eugene S. Talbot
Marmosets can be bought for a quarter of a dollar each.
"Equatorial America" by Maturin M. Ballou
The marmoset is one of the prettiest of the monkeys, and, though at first shy, soon becomes playful and affectionate.
"Natural History in Anecdote" by Various
The Cebidae, though for the most part larger than the Marmosets, never approach in size the Old-World Apes.
"The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia" by Frank Evers Beddard
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In poetry:

The couched Brazilian jaguar
Compels the scampering marmoset
With subtle effluence of cat;
Grishkin has a maisonette;
"Whispers Of Immortality" by T S Eliot

In news:

There'd be days like this, Marmoset .
eugeneweekly.com
" Marmoset there'd be days like this.".
eugeneweekly.com
Looking more like a creature out of a Steven Spielberg movie than one of our closer primate relatives, Callithrix saterei made its official debut as a new species of marmoset in 1996.
discovermagazine.com
Marmosets monkeys are a new attraction at.
orlandosentinel.com
Marmosets may be able to achieve levels of cognitive abstraction previously seen only in humans, chimpanzees and gorillas, according to a new study in APA's Journal of Comparative Psychology (Vol 118, No.
apa.org
Capuchin, spider, marmoset, squirrel monkey & Kinkajou babies for sale.
starhq.com
In a bizarre twist, a first-class passenger was arrested this week after he was caught trying to smuggle two panthers, an Asiatic black bear, one macaque monkey and one marmoset in his luggage.
wfgr.com
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In science:

What about “Is there much crime in Washington?” Undoubtedly acceptable. “Are there any dogs in Washington?” An odd question for an airplane conversation. “Are there many dogs in Washington?” Sounds better. “Are there many marmosets in Washington?” Odd. “Are there many marmosets in the Washington zoo?” Okay again.
Lessons from a Restricted Turing Test
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