Makaka

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term that may be used to refer informally or colloquially to certain primates or monkeys ; possibly a local or dialectal designation for a species of macaque or similar animal ; can also appear as a nickname or slang in certain cultures and contexts
2. A name applied to primate species resembling macaques in some regions ; can function as a casual or vernacular label for monkey-like creatures ; sometimes used figuratively or as a proper noun in cultural references
3. An informal label potentially denoting members of the macaque family or other monkeys ; occasionally employed in colloquial speech or folklore to describe primates ; might serve as a cultural or contextual moniker in various languages or communities

Etymology: "Makaka" is a word that entered English through a trade language, not directly from a single European source. Its history traces back to the Portuguese word "macaco," which Portuguese sailors and traders used for primates they encountered on the African coast, and which may itself come from a West African language. From there the form spread through Romance and into other European tongues, and in English it turns up as a term for monkeys in travel and trade writing, often with the sense of a chatter-prone, mischievous creature. The Portuguese "macaco" is the source behind several related words, including "macaque," the name of a group of Old World monkeys, which reached English through French. English has also kept the older, looser sense of "makaka" as a general label for monkeys, while scientific usage has largely replaced it with more precise names.

Synonyms: monkey