kan·ga·roo (k ng g -r  )n. pl. kangaroo or kan·ga·roos Any of various herbivorous marsupials of the family Macropodidae of Australia and adjacent islands, having short forelimbs, large hind limbs adapted for leaping, and a long tapered tail. [Guugu Yimidhirr (Aboriginal language of northeast Australia) ga  urru.]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 [ˌkæŋgəˈruː]
n pl -roos
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / 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. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Stock Exchange) (usually plural) Stock Exchange an Australian share, esp in mining, land, or a tobacco company
vb -roos, -rooing, -rooed
(Engineering / 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
[probably from a native Australian language]
kangaroo-like adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| 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 noun
Translations
kangaroo
n kangaroo [kӕŋgəˈruː]
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. kangaroe الكَنْغَر кенгуру klokan kænguru das Känguruh καγκουρό canguro känguru کانگورو kenguru kangourou קֶנגוּרוּ कंगारु klokan kenguru kanguru kengúra canguro カンガルー 캥거루 kengūra ķengurs kanggaru kangoeroe kenguru kangur canguru cangur кенгуру klokan kenguru kengur känguru จิงโจ้ kanguru 袋鼠 кенгуру کنگرو chuột túi 袋鼠
kangaroo → كُنْغُر klokan kænguru Känguruh καγκουρό canguro kenguru kangourou klokan canguro カンガルー 캥거루 kangoeroe kenguru kangur canguru кенгуру känguru ตัวจิงโจ kanguru chuột túi kangaru 袋鼠
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