Wallaroo
/ˌwɒləˈruː/noun
A large kangaroo native to Australia, especially one of the genus Macropus or Osphranter.
Did you know?Wallaroo is an Indigenous Australian loanword, but unlike words such as “nightmare” or “glamour,” it has no documented occult or magical meaning; its history reflects Aboriginal influence on Australian English.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European Australia
Dharuk
walarru
“A large kangaroo; the precise original Aboriginal sense is recorded with some variation.”
Late 18th Century
English
wallaroo
“An Australian Aboriginal animal name adopted into colonial English.”
19th Century
Australian English
wallaroo
“A large kangaroo, distinguished in popular usage from smaller wallabies.”
Modern English
English
wallaroo
“A large kangaroo, especially a member of the genus Osphranter.”