kangaroo
/ˌkæŋɡəˈruː/
noun
Origin
Guugu Yimithirr
gangurru — a large black kangaroo
Overview
Meaning Now
- A large marsupial of the family Macropodidae, native to Australia and New Guinea, characterized by powerful hind legs for jumping.
Literal older meaning
unknown/I don't know (folk etymology)
Language path
Guugu Yimithirr → English
Earliest form
kanguru
Earliest period
18th century
Journey
The name was first recorded by members of Captain James Cook's expedition to Australia in 1770. It was long rumored to be a translation of a Guugu Yimithirr phrase meaning 'I don't understand', but linguistic research in the 1970s confirmed that the word correctly identified a specific species of large black kangaroo in the local language.
Evolution
- 1770
kanguru
“a large black kangaroo”
Recorded by Joseph Banks during the Endeavour expedition.
- 1773
kangooroo
“kangaroo”
First published appearance in English.
- 1800s
kangaroo
“kangaroo”
Standardized spelling in modern English.
Connections
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.