Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
kangaroo
kan′ga-roo′
,Noun.
[Said to be the native name.]
(Zool.)
Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family
Macropodidæ
. They inhabit Australia
, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, They have long and strong hind legs and a large tail, while the fore legs are comparatively short and feeble. The giant kangaroo (Macropus major
) is the largest species, sometimes becoming twelve or fourteen feet in total length. The tree kangaroos, belonging to the genus Dendrolagus
, live in trees; the rock kangaroos, of the genus Petrogale
, inhabit rocky situations; and the brush kangaroos, of the genus Halmaturus
, inhabit wooded districts. See Wallaby
. Definition 2025
kangaroo
kangaroo
English
A kangaroo with a joey.
Noun
kangaroo (plural kangaroos)
- A member of the Macropodidae family of large marsupials with strong hind legs for hopping, native to Australia. [from 18th c.]
- 1770, James Cook, Journal, 4 August 1770 :
- Besides the Animals which I have before mentioned, called by the Natives Kangooroo, or Kanguru […].
- 1814, Matthew Flinders, A Voyage to Terra Australis:
- In the woods are the kanguroo, the emu or cassowary, paroquets, and a variety of small birds […].
- 1770, James Cook, Journal, 4 August 1770 :
- (Canada, attributive) A hooded jacket with a front pocket, usually of fleece material, a kangaroo jacket.
Synonyms
- (Macropodidae): macropod, roo
- (jacket): bunny hug, hoodie, kangaroo jacket
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Translations
marsupial
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See also
Verb
kangaroo (third-person singular simple present kangaroos, present participle kangarooing, simple past and past participle kangarooed)
- To practice kangaroo care on an infant; to hold a premature infant against the skin.
- To hunt kangaroo.
- To drive a motor car very jerkily
References
- R. M. W. Dixon, Australian Aboriginal Words, Oxford University Press, 1990, ISBN 0-19-553099-3
- “kangaroo” in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Manx
Etymology
Borrowing from English kangaroo.
Noun
kangaroo m (genitive singular kangaroo, plural kangarooghyn)
Mutation
| Manx mutation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
| kangaroo | changaroo | gangaroo |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | ||