platyrrhine

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a New World monkey of the primate group Platyrrhini, including capuchins, marmosets, howler monkeys, and their relatives

   A capuchin is a platyrrhine, whereas a macaque is a catarrhine.

2. 2
   adj

   relating to Platyrrhini, whose nostrils are typically set far apart and face sideways

   The fossil jaw displayed features associated with platyrrhine primates.

3. 3
   adj

   historical anthropology: having a broad, relatively flat nose

   Older anthropological writing used platyrrhine as a physical classification, a practice now regarded as reductive.

From New Latin Platyrrhini, built from Greek platys ("broad, flat") + rhis, genitive rhinos ("nose"). The zoological name contrasts New World monkeys with catarrhines, whose nostrils are closer together and face downward.

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