Wurrigal
/ˈwɜːrɪɡəl/noun
An Australian English term, also spelled warrigal, referring to a wild dog or dingo and, by extension, something wild or untamed.
Did you know?Wurrigal entered colonial Australian English from an Aboriginal language of the Sydney region, where related spellings described a wild dog and later came to suggest something fierce or untamed.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Dharuk
wirrigal
“A wild dog or dingo; the precise original spelling is uncertain because the language was recorded through English orthography.”
Late 18th Century
Sydney English
worrigal
“An Aboriginal loanword used by European settlers for a wild dog.”
1790s–Early 19th Century
Australian English
warrigal
“A wild dog or dingo; variant spellings circulated in early colonial records.”
19th Century
Australian English
warrigal
“Wild, feral, or untamed, in addition to its zoological sense.”
Modern English
Australian English
wurrigal
“A less common spelling variant of warrigal, meaning a wild dog, dingo, or something wild.”