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tal·a·poin

(tălə-poin′)

A small monkey (Miopithecus talapoin) of western equatorial Africa, having a long tail and greenish fur.

[From Early Modern English talapoy, talapoin, Southeast Asian Buddhist monk (from the general association of monkeys with monks, and perhaps specifically from the resemblance of the monkey's orange markings to the robes of Buddhist monks ), from Portuguese talapões, pl. of talapão, Southeast Asian Buddhist monk, from Mon tala poi, our lord (title of respect for a monk) : tala, lord (from Proto-Austroasiatic *tər-la) + poi, we, us (of Proto-Austroasiatic origin).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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