Meanings
rhesus1
plural rhesuses
- A macaque monkey native to southern and southeastern Asia; Macaca mulatta.
- alternativemedicineAlternative form of Rhesus.
Rhesus2
- alsoattributivemedicineDenotes a system for categorising human blood types based on the presence or absence of various antigens, especially Rhesus factor D.
Synonyms: Rh
Synonyms & antonyms
nounDenotes a system for categorising human blood types based on the presence or absence of various antigens, especially Rhesus factor D.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
rhesus · noun
- Ancient GreekῬῆσος
- LatinRhēsus
- New Latinrhēsus
- Englishrhesus
From New Latin rhēsus, arbitrary formation from Latin Rhēsus, from Ancient Greek Ῥῆσος (Rhêsos), mythical Thracian king.
More words from New Latin, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Rhesus · noun
So named because the first identified antigen (RhD) was originally believed to be the same as one discovered in rhesus macaques.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with rhesus
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
rhesus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rhesus
“rhesus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rhesus. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rhesus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rhesus.
Source: rhesus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.