Mongoloid See race
mongoose Any of the 37 species of carnivores constituting the family Herpestidae, found in Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. Rudyard Kipling’s famous “Rikki-tikki-tavi” was an Indian, or gray, mongoose ( Herpestes edwardsiiy, the meerkat is also a member of the mongoose family. Species range from 7 to 35 in. (17 to 90 cm) long, excluding the furry 6-12-in. (15-30-cm) tail. Mongooses have short legs, a pointed nose, and small ears. Most species are active during the day. The gray to brown fur may have light flecks or dark markings. Mongooses live in burrows, alone, in pairs, or in large groups, and they eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, eggs, and fruit. A few species are semiaquatic. Though not immune to venom, some species attack and kill poisonous snakes by cracking the skull with a powerful bite.
monism Vmo-.ni-zomV In metaphysics, the doctrine that the world is essentially one substance or contains only one kind of substance. Monism is opposed both to dualism and to pluralism. Examples of monism include materialism, pantheism, and metaphysical idealism. See also Benedict de Spinoza.
monitor Ironclad warship originally designed for use in shallow har¬ bours and rivers to blockade the Confederate states in the American Civil War. The original ironclad, built by John Ericsson, was named Monitor Its innovative design included minimal exposure above the waterline, a
heavily armoured deck and hull, and a revolving gun turret. The incon¬ clusive Battle of the Monitor and Merrimack (1862) was the first between ironclad warships. Never seaworthy, the Monitor sank during a gale off Cape Hatteras that same year, but the U.S. Navy built many improved monitors during the war. The British navy kept its monitors in service as late as World War II.
Monitor and Merrimack, Battle of the (March 9, 1862) Naval engagement in the American Civil War at Hampton Roads, Va. The Merri¬ mack, originally a federal frigate, had been salvaged by the Confederates, fitted with iron armor, and renamed the Virginia. It sank several wooden Union warships before meeting the Union’s Monitor. After a four-hour battle, both ships were damaged, but each side claimed victory. Both ships were destroyed later in 1862, the Virginia by its crew to avoid capture and the Monitor in a storm. The battle is notable as history’s first duel between ironclad warships and as the beginning of a new era in naval warfare.
monitor lizard Any of about 30 species of lizards (genus Varanus, family Varanidae), found in the Old World tropics and subtropics. Most have an elongated head and neck, a heavy body, a long tail, and well- developed legs. The smallest monitor grows to 8 in. (20 cm), but several species (e.g., the Komodo dragon) are very large. The two-banded, or water, monitor (V salvator), of South Asia, grows to 9 ft (2.7 m). The perenty ( V. giganteus ), of Australia, grows to 8 ft (2.4 m). The so-called earless monitor ( Lanthanotus borneensis), a rare lizard of Borneo and the only species of the family Lanthanotidae, grows to 16 in. (40 cm) long.
monk See monasticism
Monk, Meredith (Jane) (b. Nov. 20, 1942, Lima, Peru) Peruvian- born U.S. composer and performance artist. She was raised in Connecti¬ cut and New York and attended Sarah Lawrence College. She soon formed her first group, The House (1968), to explore extended vocal techniques (many learned from study of other cultures) in combination with dance, film, theatre, and other elements, in genre-defying works such as Juice (1969). One of the original creators of performance art, she has remained unique and unclassifiable.
Monk, Thelonious (Sphere) (b. Oct. 10, 1917, Rocky Mount, N.C., U.S.—d. Feb. 17, 1982, Englewood, N.J.) U.S. jazz pianist and composer. Monk grew up in New York City. He worked as the house pianist at Mint¬ on’s Playhouse in New York (1940^-3), where the expanding harmonic vocabulary of bebop was developed. He performed with Coleman Hawk¬ ins, Cootie Williams (19087-85), and Dizzy Gillespie before making record¬ ings under his own name beginning in 1947. His highly idiosyncratic, percussive playing made frequent use of sharp dissonances and insistent rhythms unusual in jazz. His best-known composition, “’Round Mid¬ night,” has become a jazz standard.
monkey Any member of two tropical anthropoid primate groups: Old World monkeys and New World monkeys. Almost all species are tropi¬ cal or subtropical, and almost all are diurnal. Most species are arboreal, using all four limbs to leap from tree to tree. They can sit upright and stand erect. Most species run along branches rather than swinging arm over arm like the apes. Monkeys are highly social omnivores, organized in clans as large as several hundred individuals headed by an old male. Sexually mature males of all species are always potent, and all nonpreg¬ nant females have a monthly menstrual cycle. Most species bear a single young, which is reared by the mother for years.
monkey puzzle tree Evergreen ornamental and timber conifer (Araucaria araucana ) of the family Araucariaceae, native to the Andes Mountains of South America. The tree may grow to 150 ft (45 m) in height and 5 ft (1.5 m) in diameter. The rigid, overlapping, needle- pointed leaves are spirally arranged on stiff branches, which form a tangled, prickly network that dis¬ courages animals from climbing the tree. The Norfolk Island pine is a rela¬ tive.
monkeypox Viral disease of both animals and humans that causes symptoms similar to those of small-
Monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria arau¬ cana).
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pox, though less severe. The monkeypox virus is usually found in primates and rodents in Central and West Africa but has spread to other parts of the world through the export of infected small mammals. It can be trans¬ mitted to humans through an animal bite and from person to person through prolonged close contact. Symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, general malaise and fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes. A rash of raised bumps appears on the infected person’s face and body. Treat¬ ment is limited to alleviating symptoms. Outbreaks are contained by iso¬ lating patients and controlling the trade of animals.
monkfish Any of 10-12 species (genus Squatinci, family Squatinidae) of sharks having a flattened head and body, with winglike pectoral and pelvic fins that make them resemble rays. The tail bears two dorsal fins, and behind each eye is a prominent spiracle. Monkfish grow up to 6.25 ft (2.5 m) long. They inhabit tropical and warm temperate waters of con¬ tinental shelves worldwide. The angelfish, or angel shark ( S. squatina ), is often caught for food in European waters. The term monkfish is also used for the unrelated food species of the genus Lophius, bottom-dwelling goosefish with enormous mouths and “fishing rod” lures extending from their heads.
Monmouth Vman-mothX, James Scott, duke of orig. James Fitzroy or James Crofts (b.
April 9, 1649, Rotterdam, Neth.—d. July 15, 1685, London, Eng.) British military leader. The illegitimate son of Charles II of England, he lived in Paris with his mother. In 1662 he was brought to England as a favourite of the king, who created him duke of Monmouth. He married the Scottish heiress Anne Scott, duchess of Buc- cleuch, and took her surname. A member of the king’s guard from 1668, he commanded troops in the Anglo-Dutch War and against Scot¬ tish rebels in 1679. He was champi¬ oned for the royal succession by the anti-Catholic Whigs, but after the unsuccessful Rye House Plot he took