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orang-utan

British  
/ ˌɔːræŋˈuːtæn, ɔːˌræŋuːˈtæn, ɔːˌræŋuːˈtæŋ, ˌɔːræŋˈuːtæŋ /

noun

  1. Sometimes shortened to: orang.  a large anthropoid ape, Pongo pygmaeus, of the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, with shaggy reddish-brown hair and strong arms

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of orang-utan

C17: from Malay orang hutan, from ōrang man + hūtan forest

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The film puts everyday conversations into the mouths of animals including an orang-utan, lemurs and an orca.

From BBC • Jul. 28, 2020

Swaths of jungle in Asia have been turned to palm oil plantations and have brought the orang-utan to the edge of extinction in many areas.

From The Guardian • Apr. 9, 2016

Alone above the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Pacific, he's an orphan captaining a lifeboat with only a zebra, a hyena, a female orang-utan and the gigantic Bengal tiger Richard Parker for company.

From The Guardian • Dec. 23, 2012

Populations of great apes; gorilla, chimp and orang-utan species, and the small apes, or gibbons, are dwindling around the world, and everything possible must be done to save them, they say.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2012

Father judiciously traded these for an extra orang-utan from the Mysore Zoo and a chimpanzee from the Manila Zoo.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel