The word 'orangutan' originally came from Malaysian as 'orang-utan'

'Orangutan' is a word borrowed from Malaysian 'orang-utan'. The word entered the English language some time around 1691.

orangutan [noun] [1691]

A largely herbivorous arboreal anthropoid ape (Pongo pygmaeus) of Borneo and Sumatra that is about as large as the g...

See 'orangutan' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from Malaysian.

Etymology: Bazaar Malay (Malay-based pidgin), from Malay 'orang' man + 'hutan' forest

See more loan words from 1600s.