Meanings
plural orangutans · alternative orang utan · alternative orang-utan · alternative orangutang · alternative archaic orang-utang · alternative archaic ourang outang · alternative archaic ourang-outang · alternative archaic ourangoutang · alternative obsolete oran-otan · alternative obsolete oran-outang · alternative obsolete orang-hutan · alternative obsolete orang-otan · alternative obsolete orang-otang · alternative obsolete orang-outan · alternative obsolete orang-outang · alternative obsolete orangotang
Synonyms & antonyms
nounlarge long-armed ape of Borneo and Sumatra having arboreal habits
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Malayorang hutan, orang utan
- Dutchorang-oetan, orang-oetang
- Englishorangutan
Probably via Dutch orang-oetan, orang-oetang, apparently from Malay orang hutan, orang utan (literally “forest person”), from orang (“person, man”) + hutan (“forest”), although as a term for the animal it is attested only recently (earlier and preferred terms being mawas and mayas). As there is originally no evidence for its usage, except occasionally literally, it must be assumed to have been regional, or a descriptive collocation used to explain the animal to early travellers. Forms in -ng are alterations after the first element, orang. The name orangutan has been used in Old Javanese texts, notably in Rāmāyaṇa and Smaradahana, in the form of uraṅutan and wuraṅutan. Its usage to refer to the apes in these texts (from as early as the 9th century CE) has been seen as a refutation of claims that the name orangutan originates from a European source.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic إِنْسَان اَلْغَاب, إِنْسَان الْغَابَة
- إِنْسَان اَلْغَاب (ʔinsān al-ḡāb)arboreal anthropoid ape
- إِنْسَان الْغَابَة (ʔinsān al-ḡāba)arboreal anthropoid ape
Bulgarian орангутан
- орангутан (orangutan)arboreal anthropoid ape
Catalan orangutan
- orangutanarboreal anthropoid ape
Chinese Mandarin 紅毛猩猩 /红毛猩猩
- 紅毛猩猩 /红毛猩猩 (hóngmáo xīngxing)arboreal anthropoid ape
Czech orangutan
- orangutanarboreal anthropoid ape
Dutch orang-oetan
- orang-oetanarboreal anthropoid ape
Esperanto orangutango, orangutano
- orangutangoarboreal anthropoid ape
- orangutanoarboreal anthropoid ape
Estonian orangutan, orangutang
- orangutanarboreal anthropoid ape
- orangutangarboreal anthropoid ape
Finnish oranki
- orankiarboreal anthropoid ape
French orang-outan
- orang-outanarboreal anthropoid ape
German Orang-Utan
- Orang-Utanarboreal anthropoid ape
Greek ουρακοτάγκος
- ουρακοτάγκος (ourakotágkos)arboreal anthropoid ape
Hindi आरंगुटान, ओरंगोटंग
- आरंगुटान (āraṅguṭān)arboreal anthropoid ape
- ओरंगोटंग (oraṅgoṭaṅg)arboreal anthropoid ape
Hungarian orangután
- orangutánarboreal anthropoid ape
Icelandic órangútan
- órangútanarboreal anthropoid ape
Indonesian orang utan, mawas
- orang utanarboreal anthropoid ape
- mawasarboreal anthropoid ape
Irish órang-útan
- órang-útanarboreal anthropoid ape
Italian orango
- orangoarboreal anthropoid ape
Japanese オランウータン, 猩猩
- オランウータン (oran'ūtan)arboreal anthropoid ape
- 猩猩 (shōjō)arboreal anthropoid ape
Korean 오랑우탄
- 오랑우탄 (orang'utan)arboreal anthropoid ape
Latvian orangutans
- orangutansarboreal anthropoid ape
Lithuanian orangutãnas, orangutángas
- orangutãnasarboreal anthropoid ape
- orangutángasarboreal anthropoid ape
Malay orang utan, mawas
- orang utanarboreal anthropoid ape
- mawasarboreal anthropoid ape
Māori tuahuru
- tuahuruarboreal anthropoid ape
Polish orangutan
- orangutanarboreal anthropoid ape
Portuguese orangotango
- orangotangoarboreal anthropoid ape
Romanian urangutan
- urangutanarboreal anthropoid ape
Russian орангута́н, орангута́нг
- орангута́н (orangután)arboreal anthropoid ape
- орангута́нг (orangutáng)arboreal anthropoid ape
Spanish orangután
- orangutánarboreal anthropoid ape
Swedish orangutang
- orangutangarboreal anthropoid ape
Tagalog urangutang
- urangutangarboreal anthropoid ape
Thai อุรังอุตัง
- อุรังอุตัง (ù-rang-ù-dtang)arboreal anthropoid ape
Turkish orangutan
- orangutanarboreal anthropoid ape
Ukrainian орангутан
- орангутан (oranhutan)arboreal anthropoid ape
Urdu اورنگوٹان
- اورنگوٹانarboreal anthropoid ape
Vietnamese đười ươi
- đười ươiarboreal anthropoid ape
Welsh orangwtang
- orangwtangarboreal anthropoid ape
Yiddish אָראַנג־אוטאַנג
- אָראַנג־אוטאַנג (orang-utang)arboreal anthropoid ape
Cite this entry
orangutan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orangutan
“orangutan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orangutan. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orangutan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orangutan.
Source: orangutan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.