macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak How to pronounce macaque (audio) -ˈkäk How to pronounce macaque (audio)
: any of a genus (Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms
especially : rhesus monkey

Illustration of macaque

Illustration of macaque

Examples of macaque in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to a preprint published this month on bioRxiv, macaques stare longer at the faces of candidates who end up losing. Bychristie Wilcox, science.org, 23 Sep. 2024 Those primates were mostly macaques and marmosets; the use of chimpanzees (our closest ape relative) is now banned in many countries, including the US. Celia Ford, Vox, 6 Sep. 2024 Scientists have used many different animals as a model of aging in the lab, from microscopic worms and African fish, to mice, macaques, and marmosets. Celia Ford, Vox, 12 Aug. 2024 And just as Albery found for the red deer, this isn’t because older macaques have lost more friends or because macaques with fewer friends live longer. Tim Vernimmen, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for macaque 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'macaque.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Portuguese macaco, from kaku mangabey, plural makaku, in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of macaque was in 1757

Dictionary Entries Near macaque

Cite this Entry

“Macaque.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/macaque. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

macaque

noun
ma·​caque mə-ˈkak How to pronounce macaque (audio) -ˈkäk How to pronounce macaque (audio)
: any of various monkeys mostly from Asia that includes some with either short or no tails
especially : rhesus monkey
Etymology

French, from Portuguese macaco, from makaku, plural of kaku, name for an African monkey in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo

Medical Definition

macaque

noun
ma·​caque mə-ˈkak How to pronounce macaque (audio) -ˈkäk How to pronounce macaque (audio)
: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia
especially : rhesus monkey

More from Merriam-Webster on macaque

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