Illustration of macaque
macaque
noun
ma·caque mə-ˈkak 
-ˈkäk
-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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The monkeys terrorizing the community are Japanese macaque, the kind often pictured peacefully bathing in hot springs. 
Yuri Kageyama, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 Michael Budkie, co-founder of Stop Animal Exploitation Now, said the pregnant macaque should have been more closely monitored. Rob O'dell, The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2022 The marauding macaque killed Tuesday will almost certainly not be the last to be executed in Japan for terrifying humans. Mike Ives, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2022 According to officials, the macaque captured late Tuesday was believed to be a 4-year-old male. Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 27 July 2022 While some news outlets had hypothesized that the crimes resulted from one rogue macaque, the monkey attacks have persisted. Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 27 July 2022 Anthropologist Paul Vasey has been studying Japanese macaque monkeys for decades. Eliot Schrefer, Washington Post, 30 June 2022 Last year, Yakei, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque, fought several other macaques, including her own mother, to become the alpha of her troop. New York Times, 6 Apr. 2022 One of Mieth’s images, known for being one of the most iconic animal photos in history, features a rhesus macaque sitting in the water soaking wet. Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022 See More
Yuri Kageyama, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 Michael Budkie, co-founder of Stop Animal Exploitation Now, said the pregnant macaque should have been more closely monitored. Rob O'dell, The Arizona Republic, 17 Aug. 2022 The marauding macaque killed Tuesday will almost certainly not be the last to be executed in Japan for terrifying humans. Mike Ives, BostonGlobe.com, 27 July 2022 According to officials, the macaque captured late Tuesday was believed to be a 4-year-old male. Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 27 July 2022 While some news outlets had hypothesized that the crimes resulted from one rogue macaque, the monkey attacks have persisted. Arata Yamamoto, NBC News, 27 July 2022 Anthropologist Paul Vasey has been studying Japanese macaque monkeys for decades. Eliot Schrefer, Washington Post, 30 June 2022 Last year, Yakei, a 9-year-old female Japanese macaque, fought several other macaques, including her own mother, to become the alpha of her troop. New York Times, 6 Apr. 2022 One of Mieth’s images, known for being one of the most iconic animal photos in history, features a rhesus macaque sitting in the water soaking wet. Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
macaque
noun
ma·caque mə-ˈkak
-ˈkäk
: a monkey mostly found in Asia that often has a short tail
Medical Definition
macaque
noun
ma·caque mə-ˈkak -ˈkäk
-ˈkäk : any of numerous short-tailed Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca and related genera chiefly of southern Asia
especially : rhesus monkey