macaca

M3A1C3A1C3A1
US/məˈkɑːkə/US/məˈkækə/

noun

Any of a group of Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca; a macaque.

OriginPortuguese macaca →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nounmacaca (plural macacas)

plural macacas

  1. datedAny of a group of Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca; a macaque.

    This process of the temporal bone varies in size, and may occur on one or both sides. A similar formation is common among gorillas, chimpanzees, macacas, magots (Inuus), and baboons.* It is less frequent among orangs,† gibbons, marmosets, and American species (howlers, hooded apes, etc.).

    1886, Robert Hartmann, Anthropoid Apes (The International Scientific Series; 52), New York: D. Appleton and Company, page 111

Origin

  1. Portuguesemacaca
  2. Englishmacaca

From the genus name Macaca, from Portuguese macaca, feminine of macaco (“monkey”). Doublet of macaque and macaco.

More words from Portuguese

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

MacCaacamaca
Cite this entry
APA

macaca. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macaca

MLA

“macaca.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macaca. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “macaca,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/macaca.

Source: macaca on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.