macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak  -ˈkäk 

: any of a genus (Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms

especially : rhesus monkey

Illustration of macaque

Examples of macaque in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No dolphin will ever perform an autopsy, no dingo will read Heidegger, no macaque will write a requiem for piano and violin. —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

With these crowded conditions, the Rhesus macaques also had to improve their social tolerance. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Unlike sheep and deer, macaques dedicate much of the day to affiliating with one another. —Tim Vernimmen, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 July 2024

Hit-Monkey season 2 One of Marvel’s wackiest and most underrated shows follows a Japanese macaque who becomes the protégé of an American assassin’s ghost and takes on the Japanese yakuza. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 20 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Portuguese macaco, from kaku mangabey, plural makaku, in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo

First Known Use

1757, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing macaque

• crab-eating macaque
• long-tailed macaque
• stump-tailed macaque

Kids Definition

macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak  -ˈkäk 

: any of various monkeys mostly from Asia that includes some with either short or no tails

especially : rhesus monkey

Etymology

French, from Portuguese macaco, from makaku, plural of kaku, name for an African monkey in one or more Bantu languages of Gabon and Congo

Medical Definition

macaque

noun

ma·​caque mə-ˈkak  -ˈkäk 

: any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia

especially : rhesus monkey