Orang
/ˈɔːræŋ/noun
An informal English term for an orangutan, especially in British usage.
Did you know?In Malay, orang means “person” or “human,” and orangutan literally means “forest person,” reflecting an old interpretation of the animal as a humanlike being living beyond civilization.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
PMP
*qaRtau
“Person or human being; the reconstructed ancestral form generally connected with Malay orang.”
Old Malay
Old Malay
urang
“Person or human; an early Malay form related to modern orang.”
14th–16th Century
Malay
orang
“Person, human being, or people.”
17th Century
Malay
orang hutan
““Forest person”; the compound name for the orangutan.”
19th Century
English
orangutan
“A large, reddish-brown arboreal ape of Southeast Asia, borrowed from Malay.”
20th Century
English
orang
“An informal shortened form of orangutan, chiefly used in British English.”
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