Kangaroos
/ˌkæŋ.ɡəˈruːz/noun
Large Australian marsupials that move by powerful jumping and carry their young in a pouch.
Did you know?The English word was recorded during Captain Cook’s 1770 voyage, but the famous story that Indigenous speakers answered “I don’t know” is almost certainly a later myth.
Etymological Timeline
Before 1770
Guugu Yimithirr
gangurru
“A local Indigenous name for a type of large hopping marsupial, probably referring specifically to the gray kangaroo.”
1770
English transcription
kangooroo
“A spelling recorded by Joseph Banks and other members of Cook’s expedition after encountering the animal near the Endeavour River.”
Late 18th Century
English
kangaroo
“The borrowed English name for Australian hopping marsupials.”
19th Century
English
kangaroos
“The regular English plural formed with the suffix -s.”
Modern English
English
kangaroos
“The standard plural for kangaroo, used for the animals collectively or individually in the plural.”