Phalanger
/ˈfæl.ən.dʒər/noun
A nocturnal Australian marsupial, especially one of the possum-like tree-dwelling species in the family Phalangeridae.
Did you know?Phalanger comes through New Latin from Greek *phalang-* (“finger, finger-bone”), the same root behind *phalanx*, because early naturalists used it for the creature’s finger-like toes and bones.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phalanx / phalanges
“finger-bone, finger joint, or a bone arranged in a row”
Late Latin
Latin
phalangium
“a term used in learned zoological naming, influenced by the Greek root for finger-bones”
18th Century
New Latin
Phalangista / Phalanger
“scientific names applied to marsupials with finger-like limbs or toes”
19th Century
English
phalanger
“a marsupial animal of the phalanger family, especially a possum-like tree dweller”
Modern English
English
phalanger
“any of several nocturnal Australian marsupials in the family Phalangeridae”
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