monkey (English)

Where does "monkey" come from?

The exact origin of the word "monkey" remains a mystery, with several competing theories rooted in folklore and potential borrowings. It may stem from the Middle Low German name "Moneke," a character from the Reynard the Fox stories, or evolve from European diminutive terms like "monnekin," meaning "little man." Other possibilities include a connection to Romance variants or the Arabic "maymūn," suggesting the term has traveled across varied linguistic paths before settling into English.

Full etymology tree

monkey (English), 'A member of the clade Simiiformes other than those in the clade Hominoidea containing apes, generally (but not universally) distinguished by small size, tails, and cheek pouches.'
- compound monk (Middle English), 'monk'
  - inherited monk (English), 'A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service.'
  - inherited munuc (Old English), 'monk'
    - inherited *munik (Proto-West Germanic), 'monk'
      - borrowed monachus (Latin), 'monk'
        borrowed μοναχός (monachós) (Ancient Greek), 'solitary, single'
        derived μόνος (mónos) (Ancient Greek), 'alone, forsaken, solitary'
- suffix -y (Middle English), 'Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by being appended to a noun.'
  - inherited -ey (English), 'Alternative form of -y (adjectival suffix).'
- borrowed Moneke (Middle Low German)
- borrowed monnekin (Old French)
  - borrowed mannekin (Middle Dutch)
  - derived monna (Italian), 'a courtesy title for a woman. abbreviation of madonna'
    - derived mona (Old Spanish)
      - derived maymūn (maymūn) (Arabic)

Direct ancestors

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris