Forms: 6 tallipoie, 7–8 tallapoi(e, 7 talapoi, talopoy, talipoy, telapoi; 8 talopoin, 9 telapoon, 7– talapoin. [ad. Pg. talapão, ad. Talaing (Old Peguan) tala pôi ‘my lord,’ the title of a Buddhist monk, corresponding (in use) to Burmese p‘ôngyî. (Sir R. C. Temple in Indian Antiq., XXXIX. 159.)]
1. A Buddhist monk or priest, properly of Pegu; extended by Europeans to those of Siam, Burmah, and other Buddhist countries.
1586. R. Fitch in Hakl. Voy. (1599), II. 261. There are … many goodly houses for the Tallipoies to preach in.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage (1614), 464. They … hidde themselues in woods and wildernesses, and some turned Talopoyes: so they call their religious persons.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 195. The Priests [of Pegu] are called Tallapois.
1696. Ovington, Voy. Surat, 593. These Religious they call Telapoi, who are not unlike Mendicant Fryers, living upon the Alms of the People.
1713. Berkeley, Guard., No. 3, ¶ 3. The Talapoins of Siam have a book of scripture written by Sommonocodom.
1752. Hume, Ess. & Treat. (1809), II. 463. The excessive penances of the Brachmans and Talapoins.
1800. Misc. Tr., in Asiat. Ann. Reg., 43/1. Those philosophical begging monks, known under the name of Talapoins, who, in the first century of the Christian æra, emigrated from India, and introduced the religion of Buddha, or Goutama, in Pegu, Siam, China, and Japan.
1858. Bp. Bigandet, Life Gaudama (1866), 483. The Phongies, or Budhist Monks, sometimes called Talapoins.
2. Zool. (In full talapoin monkey.) A small West African monkey, Cercopithecus talapoin.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), IV. 234. The eighth is the Talapoin;… distinguished … by its beautiful variety of green, white, and yellow hair.
1827. Griffith, trans. Cuvier’s Anim. Kingd., Syn. Mam., 11. The Talapoin Monkey … inhabits Africa.
1868. Museum Nat. Hist., I. 30. The mone (Cercopithecus Mona) is a species nearly allied to the talapoin.
1896. List Anim. Zool. Soc., 7. Cercopithecus talapoin.… Talapoin Monkey. Hab. West Africa.
