macaque

American  

[muh-kak, -kahk] / məˈkæk, -ˈkɑk /

noun

1. any monkey of the genus Macaca, chiefly of Asia, characterized by cheek pouches and, usually, a short tail: several species are threatened or endangered.

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macaque British  

/ məˈkɑːk /

noun

1. any of various Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca, inhabiting wooded or rocky regions of Asia and Africa. Typically the tail is short or absent and cheek pouches are present

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Etymology

Origin of macaque

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French, from Portuguese macaco “monkey,” presumably from a Bantu language of the Atlantic coast; compare Lingala makako “ape”

Explanation

A macaque is a kind of monkey that lives in Asia and North Africa. Macaques are known for their long faces and complex social behaviors. There are more than twenty species of macaques, and they're the most widespread of the primates — you might see a macaque in Japan, Afghanistan, or India. Barbary macaques are known for their family structures, in which the males help raise and care for the babies, while rhesus macaques are so common in some cities that they're seen as pests. Macaque is French, from the Portuguese for "monkey," macaco, which was originally a Bantu word brought to Portugal from Africa.

Example Sentences

Macaque calls were added because these primates are more distantly related to humans both evolutionarily and acoustically.

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

They’re “sensitive creatures,” says conservationist Siân Waters, the executive director of Barbary Macaque Awareness & Conservation, another U.K.-based nonprofit, dedicated to conserving the animals and their habitat.

From National Geographic • Nov. 9, 2023

Bush, in which the plaintiffs were whales, dolphins and porpoises, and Naruto, a Crested Macaque, v.

From New York Times • Jul. 11, 2020

Macaque groups typically numbered around 44 monkeys, and killed 3,000 rats per year on average.

From Fox News • Oct. 22, 2019

Macaque, ma-kak′, n. a monkey of genus Macacus, between baboons and the African mangabeys.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various