macaque

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While a monkey is any primate from the two major groups (Old World and New World), a macaque is specifically a type of Old World monkey with a sturdy build and cheek pouches. Baboons are also Old World monkeys but are generally larger, have longer snouts, and live mostly on the ground in Africa, whereas macaques are more diverse in habitat and include tree-dwelling species found across Asia as well. For example, if you see a monkey with a short tail or no tail storing food in its cheeks, it is probably a macaque.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word 'macaque' came into English from French in the late 1700s. The French word came from Portuguese 'macaco', meaning 'monkey'. Portuguese sailors probably borrowed it from a Bantu language of Central Africa, where a word like 'makaku' referred to monkeys. The path of the word reflects the movement of early explorers and traders who encountered these monkeys in Africa and later in Asia.