kangaroo
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kan·ga·roo
(kăng′gə-ro͞o′)n. pl. kangaroo or kan·ga·roos
Any of various large herbivorous marsupials of the family Macropodidae of Australia and adjacent islands, having short forelimbs, large hind limbs used for leaping, and a long tapered tail.
[Guugu Yimidhirr (Pama-Nyungan language of northeast Australia) gaŋurru.]
Word History: A widely held belief has it that the word kangaroo comes from an Australian Aboriginal word meaning "I don't know." This is in fact untrue. The word was first recorded in 1770 by Captain James Cook, when he landed to make repairs along the northeast coast of Australia. In 1820, one Captain Phillip K. King recorded a different word for the animal, written "mee-nuah." As a result, it was assumed that Captain Cook had been mistaken, and the myth grew up that what he had heard was a word meaning "I don't know" (presumably as the answer to a question in English that had not been understood). Recent linguistic fieldwork, however, has confirmed the existence of a word gangurru in the northeast Aboriginal language of Guugu Yimidhirr, referring to a species of kangaroo. What Captain King heard may have been their word minha, meaning "edible animal."
kangaroo
(ˌkæŋɡəˈruː)n, pl -roos
1. (Animals) any large herbivorous marsupial of the genus Macropus and related genera, of Australia and New Guinea, having large powerful hind legs, used for leaping, and a long thick tail: family Macropodidae. See also rat kangaroo, tree kangaroo
2. (Stock Exchange) (usually plural) stock exchange an Australian share, esp in mining, land, or a tobacco company
vb, -roos, -rooing or -rooed
(Automotive Engineering) informal (of a car) to move forward or to cause (a car) to move forward with short sudden jerks, as a result of improper use of the clutch
[C18: probably from a native Australian language]
ˌkangaˈroo-ˌlike adj
kan•ga•roo
(ˌkæŋ gəˈru)n., pl. -roos, (esp. collectively) -roo.
any herbivorous leaping marsupial of the family Macropodidae, of Australia and adjacent islands, having short forelimbs, powerful hind legs, and a long, thick tail.
[1770; < Guugu Yimidhirr (Australian Aboriginal language)]
kan`ga•roo′like`, adj.
kan·ga·roo
(kăng′gə-ro͞o′) Any of various plant-eating marsupials of Australia and nearby islands having short forelimbs, large hind limbs adapted for leaping, and a long tapered tail. Female kangaroos have pouches in which their young, born tiny, blind, and hairless, are suckled and grow.
kangaroo
Past participle: kangarooed
Gerund: kangarooing
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| kangaroo |
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  kangaroo - any of several herbivorous leaping marsupials of Australia and New Guinea having large powerful hind legs and a long thick tailmarsupial, pouched mammal - mammals of which the females have a pouch (the marsupium) containing the teats where the young are fed and carried family Macropodidae, Macropodidae - kangaroos; wallabies giant kangaroo, great grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus - very large greyish-brown Australian kangaroo formerly abundant in open wooded areas brush kangaroo, wallaby - any of various small or medium-sized kangaroos; often brightly colored Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, musk kangaroo - small kangaroo of northeastern Australia rat kangaroo, kangaroo rat - any of several rabbit-sized ratlike Australian kangaroos |
kangaroo
nounTranslations
الكَنْغَركَنْغَرٌ
cangur
klokan
kænguru
känguru
kenguru
klokanklokanica
kenguru
kanguru
kengúra
カンガルー
캥거루
kengūra
ķengurs
cangurcangură
klokan
kenguruklokan
кенгур
känguru
จิงโจ้
canguruchuột túi kangaroo
kangaroo
(kӕŋgəˈruː) – plural kangaˈroos – noun a type of large Australian animal with very long hind legs and great power of leaping, the female of which carries her young in a pouch on the front of her body.