orangutan

noun orang·u·tan \ ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ , -ˈraŋ-gə- , -ˌtan \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of orangutan

: a largely herbivorous arboreal anthropoid ape (Pongo pygmaeus) of Borneo and Sumatra that is about ²/₃ as large as the gorilla and has brown skin, long sparse reddish-brown hair, and very long arms

See orangutan defined for English-language learners

See orangutan defined for kids

Recent Examples of orangutan from the Web

Sadly, Jiaku isn’t the only primate with a chain-smoking problem: An orangutan at Indonesia’s Bandung Zoo has also picked up the habit, after numerous zoo guests deposited lit cigarette butts into the animal’s enclosure.

— kelli bender, PEOPLE.com, "Video Showing Zoo Guests Throwing Lit Cigarettes at Chimp Addicted to Smoking Causes Outrage," 7 June 2018
The post has a clip of Sykes calling President Donald Trump an orangutan.

— stephen hudak, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake County GOP leader posts 'And the issue with Roseanne is?' regarding 'Planet of the Apes' tweet," 31 May 2018
Eco-tourism can benefit orangutans, too, if controlled.

— The Economist, "To save orangutans, think of them as money swinging from trees," 22 Feb. 2018
Location: Sumatra, Indonesia In 2013, researchers compared the skull of an adult male Sumatran orangutan killed by humans to 34 others.

— sean greene, latimes.com, "A rare great ape, a 130-foot-tall tree and an extinct marsupial lion make the Top 10 New Species list for 2018," 23 May 2018
Their isolated population is different from other species of Sumatran and Bornean orangutans.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Meet the top 10 new species of 2018," 23 May 2018
During more than 20,000 hours of formal observation, Morrogh-Bernard and her colleagues watched 10 orangutans occasionally chew a particular plant (which is not part of their diet) into a foamy lather and then rub it into their fur.

— doug main, Scientific American, "Orangutans Use Plant Extracts to Treat Pain," 6 Apr. 2018
Communicative animals like gorillas and orangutans learn to bare their chests when trainers give a certain hand signal.

— zoe sayler, Smithsonian, "What Aardvark Milk Reveals about the Evolution of Lactation," 21 Mar. 2018
The animals — parrots, orangutans, and others — all survived, but the botanical garden may takes years to restore.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Birds, trampolines and skydiving? When Jungle Island reopens, it’ll be unrecognizable," 8 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orangutan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of orangutan

Origin and Etymology of orangutan

Bazaar Malay (Malay-based pidgin), from Malay orang man + hutan forest

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1691

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ORANGUTAN Defined for English Language Learners

orangutan

noun

Definition of orangutan for English Language Learners

: a large ape that has very long arms and reddish-brown hair

ORANGUTAN Defined for Kids

orangutan

noun orang·utan \ ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ , -ˌtan \

Definition of orangutan for Students

: a large ape of Borneo and Sumatra that lives in trees, eats mostly fruit, leaves, and other plant matter, and has very long arms, long reddish brown hair, and a nearly hairless face

History for orangutan

Orangutans live in dense tropical forests on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, part of Indonesia. Like most apes they look a bit like humans. In a language called Malay, spoken by many people of Indonesia as a second language, the apes were given a name formed from Malay orang, “man,” and hutan, “forest”—in other words, “man of the forest.” Europeans visiting the islands adopted the word orangutan, and it found its way into English.