KANGAROO

kangaroo

(noun) any of several herbivorous leaping marsupials of Australia and New Guinea having large powerful hind legs and a long thick tail

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Noun

kangaroo (plural kangaroos)

A member of the Macropodidae family of large marsupials with strong hind legs for hopping, native to Australia. [from 18th c.]

(Canada, attributive) A hooded jacket with a front pocket, usually of fleece material, a kangaroo jacket.

Synonyms

• (Macropodidae): macropod, roo

• (jacket): bunny hug, hoodie, kangaroo jacket

Verb

kangaroo (third-person singular simple present kangaroos, present participle kangarooing, simple past and past participle kangarooed)

To practice kangaroo care on an infant; to hold a premature infant against the skin.

To hunt kangaroo.

To move like a kangaroo

Adjective

kangaroo (not comparable)

Of or relating to Australia.

(finance, investments) Characterized by rapidly jumping prices in securities markets or by belief that the prices are unstable in contrast to bear and bull markets.

Source: Wiktionary

---

Kan"ga*roo", n. Etym: [Said to be the native name.] (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family Macropodidæ. They inhabit Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, They have long and strong hind legs and a large tail, while the fore legs are comparatively short and feeble. The giant kangaroo (Macropus major) is the largest species, sometimes becoming twelve or fourteen feet in total length. The tree kangaroos, belonging to the genus Dendrolagus, live in trees; the rock kangaroos, of the genus Petrogale, inhabit rocky situations; and the brush kangaroos, of the genus Halmaturus, inhabit wooded districts. See Wallaby.

Kangaroo apple (Bot.), the edible fruit of the Tasmanian plant Solanum aviculare.

– Kangaroo grass (Bot.), a perennial Australian forage grass (Anthistiria australis).

– Kangaroo hare (Zoöl.), the jerboa kangaroo. See under Jerboa.

– Kangaroo mouse. (Zoöl.) See Jumping mouse, under Jumping.

– Kangaroo rat (Zoöl.), the potoroo.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---