kangaroo

Definition

A member of the Macropodidae family of large marsupials with strong hind legs for hopping, native to Australia.

Etymology

Borrowed from Guugu Yimidhirr gangurru (“eastern grey kangaroo”). (There is a popular misunderstanding that the word instead means "I don't know": supposedly, when Europeans asked what the kangaroo was, the Aboriginal Australians' answer meant "I don't know" and Europeans mistook this as the word for the animal. This is not true.)

Example Sentences

• "Besides the Animals which I have before mentioned, called by the Natives Kangooroo, or Kanguru […]."
• "In the woods are the kanguroo, the emu or cassowary, paroquets, and a variety of small birds […]."

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