Warragal
/ˈwɒr.ə.ɡəl/noun
An Australian English word meaning a wild dog or dingo, and sometimes a wild or untamed person or animal.
Did you know?Warragal is an Indigenous Australian loanword connected with Dharuk forms such as warregal, though its exact source language and original meaning are debated.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-colonial period
Dharuk?
warregal
“An Indigenous Australian form associated with a wild dog or dingo; the precise source language is uncertain.”
Late 18th Century
Australian Indigenous languages
warrigal / warregal
“Terms recorded by Europeans for a dingo or wild dog.”
19th Century
Australian English
warrigal
“A wild dog, dingo, or something wild and untamed.”
19th–20th Century
Australian English
warragul / warragal
“Variant spellings used for the same dingo- or wild-animal sense.”
Modern English
Australian English
warragal
“A regional or variant term for a wild dog, dingo, or untamed creature.”