Wallabies
/ˈwɒl.ə.biz/noun
Plural of wallaby, a small to medium-sized Australian marsupial related to the kangaroo.
Did you know?Wallaby entered English from an Aboriginal Australian language, probably Dharuk, with early English spellings including “wallaba” and “walibie.”
Etymological Timeline
Before the 18th Century
Dharuk
waliba / walibie
“An Indigenous Australian name for a wallaby; the precise original form is uncertain.”
Late 18th Century
English
wallaba
“An early English rendering of the Aboriginal animal name.”
1790s–1800s
English
wallibie
“Another early spelling recorded in descriptions of Australian wildlife.”
19th Century
English
wallaby
“The spelling that became standard for the marsupial.”
Modern English
English
wallabies
“The regular plural form of wallaby.”