Thylacinus
/ˌθaɪləˈsaɪnəs/noun
A taxonomic genus comprising the extinct marsupial commonly known as the thylacine or Tasmanian tiger.
Did you know?Thylacinus was a scientific name for an animal whose pouch was a defining marsupial feature, linking its Latinized name directly to the ancient Greek word for a sack or pouch.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
θύλακος (thýlakos)
“A sack, pouch, or bag”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
θυλακώδης (thylakṓdēs)
“Pouch-like or resembling a sac”
19th Century
New Latin
Thylacinus
“Pouched; the genus name formed from Greek thýlakos with a Latin taxonomic ending”
1824
Scientific Latin
Thylacinus cynocephalus
“The formal scientific name assigned to the species later called the thylacine”
19th Century
English
thylacine
“The common English name derived from the genus Thylacinus”
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