ourang-outang

A form of orangutan — An arboreal ape, characterised by its shaggy reddish-brown coat and long arms, of the genus Pongo, native to Borneo and Sumatra.

OriginMalay orang utan →
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Meanings

nounourang-outang (plural ourang-outangs)

plural ourang-outangs

  1. archaicArchaic spelling of orangutan.

    It was a minute anatomical and generally descriptive account of the large fulvous Ourang-Outang of the East Indian Islands.

    1841 March, Edgar A[llan] Poe, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, in George R[ex] Graham, Rufus W[ilmot] Griswold, editors, Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine. […], volume XVIII, number 4, Philadelphia, Pa.: George R. Graham, published April 1841, →OCLC, page 176, column 1

Origin

  1. Malayorang utan
  2. Englishourang-outang

From Malay orang utan.

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ourang-outang. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ourang-outang

MLA

“ourang-outang.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ourang-outang. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ourang-outang,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ourang-outang.

Source: ourang-outang on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.