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kangaroo

Etymology and origin of the English word kangaroo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈɹuː/ (UK); /ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈɹu/, /ˌkeɪŋ.ɡəˈɹu/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Guugu Yimidhirr, an Aboriginal language of the Endeavour River area in northeastern Queensland, Australia, from gaŋurru, a large black or grey kangaroo.[2][3][4][5] Barnhart says the word may have been a local one or a mistranscription.[6] Etymonline notes that it was long said to be unknown in any native language, until the Guugu Yimidhirr word was confirmed in 1972.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Australian marsupial with powerful hind legs for leaping (1770, recorded by Captain Cook and Joseph Banks, or 1773 in the OED).[6][3][4][7]

Semantic evolution

The name was extended to many kinds of kangaroo[7] and used figuratively of various things that leap or advance by fits and starts.[7] Kangaroo court, for an irregular or mock court, is American English, recorded from 1850 in Etymonline and 1853 in Barnhart, from the notion of proceeding by leaps.[3][6] In the British Parliament the word named a form of closure in which only some amendments are chosen for debate (1913).[7]

Timeline

  • 1770 – the animal (Cook and Banks).[6][3][4]
  • 1850 – kangaroo court (Etymonline, 1853 in Barnhart).[3][6]
  • 1888 – humorously, an Australian.[7]
  • 1913 – a form of parliamentary closure.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Any of various plant-eating marsupials of Australia and nearby islands, with short forelimbs, large hind legs for leaping and a long, thick tail.

Verb

  1. To move like a kangaroo, with great jumps.

Word family

  • kangaroolike
  • kangaroo court
  • kangaroo rat
  • tree kangaroo

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Kangaroo.” Etymologically, 14 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/kangaroo. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·