Where does “orang utan” come from?
orang utan (Malay) 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 (Malay): orangutan
Definitions
- orangutan
Ancestry of “orang utan”, step by step
orang utan traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Indonesian utan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indonesian | utan | Alternative spelling of hutan; forest |
| 2 | Indonesian | hutan | forest |
| 3 | Malay | hutan | forest |
| 4 | Proto-Malayic | hutan | forest |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | qutan | scrubland; bush |
| 6 | Proto-Austronesian | quCaN | scrubland; bush |
via Indonesian orang
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indonesian | orang | human, person; a vassal; a subject; a person who... |
| 2 | Malay | orang | person; human, person; a vassal; a subject |
| 3 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | uRaŋ | outsider |
via Malay utan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malay | utan | Misspelling of hutan; Alternative spelling of... |