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

---

Etymology

Origin of orang-utan

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

Example Sentences

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

Other reports have said that devastating forest fires in Indonesia, in addition to the spread of palm oil plantations, have wiped out thousands of square miles of rainforest, the home of the orang-utan.

From The Guardian • Apr. 9, 2016

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