What does chacma mean?
The chacma (Papio ursinus) is a large baboon native to southern Africa, ranging across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique. It is distinguished by its long, dog-like muzzle, powerful build, and coarse dark grey-brown fur, and it ranks among the largest of all monkeys. Chacmas live in social troops that may number several dozen individuals, foraging for fruit, seeds, insects, and occasionally small prey in habitats as varied as savanna, mountains, and coastal scrub. In everyday English, 'chacma' appears mainly in zoological writing, nature documentaries, and travel or safari contexts, where it usually functions as a noun but can also modify another noun, as in 'a chacma troop'. Because the animal is regionally specific and scientifically significant, the word is most familiar to naturalists and readers of African wildlife literature rather than to general speakers.
nounA large baboon of southern Africa (Papio ursinus), having dark grey-brown fur and a dog-like muzzle.
- A large southern African baboon (Papio ursinus) with dark grey-brown fur, found from South Africa north into Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique.
"The chacmas foraged along the cliff edge as dawn broke over the Karoo."
"A troop of chacmas raided the vineyards outside Stellenbosch."
"Wildlife photographers often wait hours near waterholes for a chance to film chacma baboons at dusk."
The regular plural 'chacmas' is standard; the uninflected singular may be used collectively when speaking of the species as a whole.
"Several chacmas gathered at the riverbank to drink."
The chacma is one of the largest of all monkeys — big males can outweigh many dogs — yet it's named by an indigenous word so old that it predates European settlement of southern Africa.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chacma
'Chacma' entered English in the early nineteenth century from Afrikaans, which had borrowed it from a Khoekhoe (Nama/Khoikhoi) language of southern Africa, making it one of the relatively few English words of Khoisan origin. It was first applied by Dutch-speaking settlers at the Cape to the local baboon before being adopted into scientific and popular zoological usage.
How chacma is actually used
The word appears chiefly in zoological, wildlife-documentary, and safari contexts. It is sometimes used attributively ('chacma troop'). The plural is normally 'chacmas', though 'chacma' can function as a collective when referring to the species generally.
Easily confused with chacma
A chamois is a goat-antelope of the European mountains, whereas a chacma is a South African baboon; the two share a similar spelling and initial sound.