noun
Familiar or slightly derogatory term for a monkey or ape, often used in a playful or dismissive way. The suffix 公 adds a colloquial, personifying tone.
See also: 公
動物園でエテ公がバナナをねだっていた。
At the zoo, a monkey was begging for a banana.
あの猿公、またいたずらしてるよ。
That monkey is up to mischief again.
Compound of 猿 (monkey) and the familiar suffix 公 (こう), which personifies or adds a colloquial, sometimes derogatory, nuance. The reading えて for 猿 is an older or dialectal variant; the exact derivation is uncertain.