Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Kangaroo |
KangarooNoun1. Any of several herbivorous leaping marsupials of Australia and New Guinea having large powerful hind legs and a long thick tail. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "kangaroo" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1813. (references) |
Note: Kangaroo \Kan"ga*roo"\, noun. [Said to be the native name.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
19th Century Satire | A hard drinker from Australia, especially fond of hops, and generally carrying a load. Source: Foolish Dictionary, 1904. |
Dream Interpretation | To see a kangaroo in your dreams, you will outwit a wily enemy who seeks to place you in an unfavorable position before the public and the person you are striving to win. If a kangaroo attacks you, your reputation will be in jeopardy. If you kill one, you will succeed in spite of enemies and obstacles. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted .... |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A Kangaroo is any of several large macropods (the marsupial family that also includes the wallabies, tree kangaroos, wallaroos, pademelons and the Quokka: 45 species in all). The term kangaroo is sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to all members of the macropod family.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo.
Larger version
There are three species of kangaroo:
Kangaroos have large powerful hind legs, large feet designed for leaping, a long muscular tail for balance, and a small head. Kangaroos are herbivores, feeding on grass and roots, and they chew cud. All species are nocturnal and crepuscular, usually spending the days idling quietly and the cool evenings, nights and mornings moving about and feeding, typically in groups called mobs.
- The Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) is the largest and the largest surviving marsupial anywhere in the world. Red Kangaroos occupy the arid and semi-arid centre of the continent. A large male can be 1.5 m tall and weigh 85 kg.
- The Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) is less well-known than the red, but the most often seen, as its range covers the fertile eastern part of the continent.
- The Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) is slightly smaller again at about 54 kg for a large male. It is found in the southern part of Western Australia , South Australia near the coast, and the Darling River basin.
In addition, there are over 40 smaller macropods that are closely allied to the kangaroos:
Unlike many of the smaller macropod species, the large red and grey kangaroos have fared well since European settlement reduced dingo numbers, created vast grasslands intended for sheep and cattle, and added stock watering points in arid areas.
- Tree kangaroos are arboreal relatives of the true kangaroo which are found in the dense rainforests of north-east Australia and New Guinea. Several tree kangaroos are endangered, largely because of habitat destruction.
- Wallabies are smaller, usually more thick-set, macropods.
- A wallaroo is a very large wallaby or a small kangaroo.
- Pademelons are small, forest living macropods of around 4 to 6 kg.
- The Quokka is a small wallaby-like macropod of Western Australia.
- Rat kangaroo is a term loosely applied to any of several very small kangaroo-like marsupials, some from the family Macropodidae, some not.
- Kangaroo rats, in contrast, are rodents.
In some areas, kangaroos are culled by professional hunters, and the meat (which is tasty, tender, and low in fat) and hides are sold. Some conservationists argue that selective hunting practices (targeting young adult males) has put the population at risk, but there is no evidence of a decline in numbers. Some activists have undertaken campaigns to prevent the culling or farming of kangaroos, presumably misunderstanding the differences between kangaroos (which are not at all threatened) and other macropods, several of which are in considerable danger of extinction.
The word kangaroo is said to derive from the Guugu Yimidhirr (an Australian Aboriginal language) word gangurru, referring to a particular species of kangaroo. The belief that it means "I don't understand" is a popular myth that is also applied to any number of other Aboriginal-sounding Australian words. Male kangaroos are called bucks, boomers or jacks; females are does, flyers, or jills and the young are joeys. The collective noun for kangaroos is a mob.
Kangaroos are popularly known as, along with koalas, the signature animals of Australia. As such they are common subject of toys and souveniers of the continent. The animal is also included in the Australian coat of arms
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Kangaroo."
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Leap | Kangaroo, jerboa; chamois, goat, frog, grasshopper, flea; buckjumper; wallaby. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Kangaroo |
| English words defined with "kangaroo": bettong, Bettongia, Bold eagle ♦ Dipodomys, Dipodomys ordi, dwarf pocket rat ♦ family Heteromyidae, Filander, Flying doe ♦ genus Bettongia, genus Dipodomys, genus Microdipodops, giant kangaroo, great gray kangaroo ♦ Hare kangaroo, Heteromyidae, Hypsiprymnodon moschatus ♦ jerboa kangaroo, jumping mouse ♦ kangaroo hare, kangaroo jerboa, kangaroo mouse ♦ Macropus giganteus, Microdipodops, musk kangaroo ♦ Ord kangaroo rat ♦ Pocket mouse ♦ rock kangaroo ♦ tree kangaroo, Turatt. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "kangaroo": BALANCE ♦ GREAT ♦ kangaroo code ♦ tammar wallaby. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Kangaroo" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses. Manx (kangaroo ). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | You know, there was a man that lived here once that had a prize-fighting kangaroo. Well, you just wouldn't believe what that kangaroo did to this courtyard (Mulholland Dr.; writing credit: David Lynch) I've never quit anything in my life except for Chinese calligraphy, my Theses 2, Kangaroo Anatomy, Toe Photography, Booger sculpture and masturbation (Bio-Dome; writing credit: Adam Leff; Mitchell Peck) What is this anyway, a kangaroo court (Stalag 17; writing credit: Donald Bevan; Edmund Trzcinski) I I was surprised to see a kangaroo in a World War I epic (Friends; writing credit: Jörn O. Jensen; Birger Larsen) Oh, very clever, kangaroo boy. Says here you exposed yourself in the cafeteria (10 Things I Hate About You; writing credit: Karen McCullah Lutz; Kirsten Smith) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Kangaroo Jack (2003) Captain Kangaroo (1955) Kangaroo Courting (1954) The Kangaroo Kid (1950) Kangaroo Kid (1938) | |
Song Titles | Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport (performing artist: Rolf Harris) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | At anchor prior to her World War I Navy service. One of nine 62'4" boats built by Herreshoff, of Bristol, Rhode Island, specifically for Naval service, and known initially as Herreshoff Hull 316, this craft was taken over by the Navy and placed in commission on 18 September 1917 as USS Kangaroo (SP-1284). She was transferred to the Treasury Department on 22 November 1919. This photograph, in which the name "Kangaroo" is faintly visible on the boat's pilothouse, was also used on the contemporary "SP" record cards of two sisters: Daiquiri (SP-1285) and War Bug (SP-1795). Credit: NAVY. |  | The farewell of the cow, rabbit, and kangaroo. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
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| "Kangaroo" by Oliver Ransom Commentary: "Kangaroo in cleland national park, south australia." | "Kangaroo & joey" by L L Commentary: "Grey kangaroo with joey, South Australia." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | GREAT, adj. "I'm great," the Lion said -- "I reign The monarch of the wood and plain!" The Elephant replied: "I'm great -- No quadruped can match my weight!" "I'm great -- no animal has half So long a neck!" said the Giraffe. "I'm great," the Kangaroo said -- "see My femoral muscularity!" The 'Possum said: "I'm great -- behold, My tail is lithe and bald and cold!" An Oyster fried was understood To say: "I'm great because I'm good!" Each reckons greatness to consist In that in which he heads the list, And Vierick thinks he tops his class Because he is the greatest ass. Arion Spurl Doke |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Kangaroo" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 98.10% of the time. "Kangaroo" is used about 105 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 98.1% | 103 | 32,137 |
| Noun (proper) | 1.9% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 105 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "kangaroo": brush kangaroo ♦ giant kangaroo ♦ great gray kangaroo ♦ Hare kangaroo ♦ jerboa kangaroo ♦ kangaroo apple ♦ kangaroo bear ♦ kangaroo code ♦ kangaroo court ♦ Kangaroo grass ♦ kangaroo hare ♦ kangaroo jerboa ♦ kangaroo mice ♦ kangaroo mouse ♦ kangaroo paw ♦ kangaroo rat ♦ kangaroo transport ♦ musk kangaroo ♦ Ord kangaroo rat ♦ rat kangaroo ♦ rock kangaroo ♦ tree kangaroo. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "kangaroo": kangaroo-bear, kangaroo-foot plant, kangaroo-hopped, kangaroo-skin, kangaroo-type. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
kangaroo | 2,240 | kangaroo mouse | 24 |
kangaroo jack | 724 | care for a kangaroo | 24 |
captain kangaroo | 323 | kangaroo game | 23 |
kangaroo island | 184 | kangaroo meat | 23 |
kangaroo stuffed | 165 | cast jack kangaroo | 23 |
kangaroo picture | 160 | dot and the kangaroo | 23 |
rat kangaroo | 133 | kangaroo hat | 20 |
red kangaroo | 82 | tie me kangaroo down | 20 |
kangaroo shoes | 65 | kangaroo with baby | 19 |
kangaroo photo | 47 | clipart kangaroo | 18 |
jack kangaroo soundtrack | 42 | australia kangaroo | 18 |
jack.com kangaroo | 42 | kangaroo pouch | 17 |
kangaroo koala | 39 | kangaroo climber | 17 |
kangaroo jack movie | 37 | kao the kangaroo | 17 |
kangaroo paw | 35 | kangaroo golf cart | 17 |
kangaroo tree | 34 | court kangaroo | 17 |
cartoon kangaroo | 30 | hangman kangaroo | 16 |
boxing kangaroo | 25 | giant kangaroo rat | 16 |
kangaroo joey | 24 | kangaroo picture rat | 16 |
kangaroo fact | 24 | kangaroo information | 15 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "kangaroo"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Afrikaans | kangeroe. (various references) | |
Albanian | kangur. (various references) | |
Arabic | كنغر. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | кенгуру. (various references) | |
Chinese | 袋鼠 . (various references) | |
Czech | klokan. (various references) | |
Danish | Kangaroo Group (Kangaroo group), kaengurutorn (kangaroo thorn), kaengurusene (kangaroo tendon), kængurusene (kangaroo tendon), Kænguru-gruppen (Kangaroo group), underart af kaenguru-rotte (Phillip's kangaroo rat), transport efter kaenguru-systemet (transport by Kangaroo type vehicles), taskemus (kangaroo mice, pocket mice), springtaskemus (Phillip's kangaroo rat), saettevogn til kaenguru-systemet (Kangaroo semi-trailer), art af traekaenguru (Bennett's tree kangaroo, Lumholtz's tree kangaroo). (various references) | |
Dutch | kangoeroe (kangaroos, Wallabies). (various references) | |
Esperanto | makropo. (various references) | |
Faeroese | kengura. (various references) | |
Farsi | کانگورو. (various references) | |
Finnish | kenguru. (various references) | |
French | kangourou. (various references) | |
German | känguruh (kangoroo). (various references) | |
Greek | καγκουρώ (kangaroos, Wallabies), μαρσιποφόρο ζώο τησ αυστραλίασ (wombat). (various references) | |
Hebrew | קנגורו. (various references) | |
Hungarian | kenguru. (various references) | |
Indonesian | kangguru. (various references) | |
Italian | canguro (wallaby, wallaroo). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | カレー饂飩 (calendar, calorie, can-can, carol, Carolina, carotene, college, college level, college paper, corolla, currency, current, current English, current price, current topics, kan ecology, Kansas, Udon cooked with curry topping). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | カンガルー . (various references) | |
Korean | 캥거루. (various references) | |
Manx | kangaroo. (various references) | |
Norwegian | kenguru. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | angarookay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | canguru. (various references) | |
Romanian | cangur. (various references) | |
Russian | кенгуру (wallaby, wallaroo). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | kengur. (various references) | |
Spanish | canguro (au pair, babysitter). (various references) | |
Swedish | känguru. (various references) | |
Thai | จิงโจ้. (various references) | |
Turkish | kanguru. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | кенгуру. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | Acacia armata, Bettongia spp., Dendrolagus bennettianus, Dendrolagus inustus, Dendrolagus lumholtzi, Dendrolagus ursinus, Dipodomys phillipsii phillipsi, Heteromyidae, Macropidia fuliginosa, Macropodidae. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "kangaroo": kangaroos. (additional references) | |
| |
"Kangaroo" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: kangeroo, kangoroo, Kangra, kangru, Kanguru, Kuguru. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-a-g-k-n-o-o-r" | |
-2 letters: angora, anorak, organa. | |
-3 letters: agora, argon, grana, groan, karoo, krona, kroon, orang, organ. | |
-4 letters: agar, agon, anga, anoa, arak, gnar, gook, goon, gran, kana, kaon, karn, knar, koan, nark, nook, okra, raga, rang, rank, roan, rook. | |
-5 letters: aga, ago, ana, ark, gan, gar, goa, goo, gor, koa, kor, nag, nog, noo, nor, oak, oar. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-a-g-k-n-o-o-r" | |
+1 letter: kangaroos. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Images: Digital Art 8. Quotations: Non-fiction | 9. Usage Frequency 10. Expressions 11. Expressions: Internet 12. Translations: Modern | 13. Translations: Ancient 14. Derivations 15. Anagrams 16. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
