Where does “orang utan” come from?

orang utan (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian utan, from Indonesian hutan, from Malay hutan, from Proto-Malayic hutan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian qutan, from Proto-Austronesian quCaN — scrubland; bush.

orang utan (Indonesian): orangutan

Definitions

  1. orangutan

Ancestry of “orang utan”, step by step

orang utan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian utan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1IndonesianutanAlternative spelling of hutan; forest
2Indonesianhutanforest
3Malayhutanforest
4Proto-Malayichutanforest
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesianqutanscrubland; bush
6Proto-AustronesianquCaNscrubland; bush

via Indonesian orang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianoranghuman, person; a vassal; a subject; a person who...
2Malayorangperson; human, person; a vassal; a subject
3Proto-Malayo-PolynesianuRaŋoutsider
Every word from Proto-Austronesian quCaN →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian qutan →Every word from Proto-Malayic hutan →