Word Study
orang-utan
CIDE DICTIONARY
orang-utan, n. [Malayan , i. e., man of the woods; man + a forest, wood, wild, savage.].
An arboreal anthropoid ape (Pongo pygmaeus , formerly Simia satyrus ), which inhabits Borneo and Sumatra. Often called simply orang . It is now an endangered species. [1913 Webster]
" It is over four feet high, when full grown, and has very long arms, which reach nearly or quite to the ground when the body is erect. Its color is reddish brown. In structure, it closely resembles man in many respects." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
orang-utan, n. (also orang-outang) a large red long-haired tree-living ape, Pongo pygmaeus, native to Borneo and Sumatra, with characteristic long arms and hooked hands and feet.
Etymology
Malay orang utan wild man
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