Banteng
/ˈbæn.tɛŋ/noun
A wild Southeast Asian cattle species with a reddish-brown coat and white lower legs.
Did you know?Banteng is the standard English name for a species native to mainland Southeast Asia and Borneo, and its name was borrowed through regional Malay/Indonesian usage rather than formed from Greek or Latin.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
banteng
“English name adopted for the Southeast Asian wild cattle species.”
Malay/Indonesian usage
Malay
banténg
“Local name for the animal in the region where Europeans encountered it.”
19th Century
Dutch
banteng
“Borrowed into European natural-history writing from Southeast Asian usage.”
Modern Zoological Usage
English
Banteng
“The species name for Bos javanicus, a wild cattle species.”