Kanguru
/kæŋˈɡʊəruː/noun
An obsolete or nonstandard English spelling of kangaroo, also used as the Indonesian and Malay word for kangaroo.
Did you know?The famous claim that kangaroo means “I don’t understand” is a later myth; the word was recorded from the Guugu Yimithirr language of northeastern Australia.
Etymological Timeline
Before 1770
Guugu Yimithirr
gangurru
“A word for a kangaroo, probably referring specifically to a large dark kangaroo.”
1770
English travel records
kanguru
“An early transcription of the Indigenous word recorded during James Cook’s expedition.”
1770
English
kangooroo
“An early English spelling used in accounts of Cook’s voyage.”
1773
English
kangaroo
“The spelling that became standard in English.”
Modern
Indonesian/Malay
kanguru
“The ordinary word for kangaroo, borrowed through European colonial languages.”