Word Study
kangaroo
CIDE DICTIONARY
kangaroo, n. [Said to be the native name.].
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. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
kangaroo, n. a plant-eating marsupial of the genus Macropus, native to Australia and New Guinea, with a long tail and strongly developed hind quarters enabling it to travel by jumping.
Idiom
kangaroo closure Brit. Parl. a closure involving the chairperson of a committee selecting some amendments for discussion and excluding others. kangaroo court an improperly constituted or illegal court held by strikers etc. kangaroo mouse any small rodent of the genus Microdipodops, native to N. America, with long hind legs for hopping. kangaroo paw any plant of the genus Angiozanthos, with green and red woolly flowers. kangaroo-rat any burrowing rodent of the genus Dipodomys, having elongated hind feet. kangaroo vine an evergreen climbing plant, Cissus antarctica, with tooth-edged leaves.
Etymology
Aboriginal name
THESAURUS
kangaroo
Angora goat, Arctic fox, Belgian hare, Caffre cat, Indian buffalo, Kodiak bear, Virginia deer, aardvark, aardwolf, alpaca, anteater, antelope, antelope chipmunk, aoudad, apar, armadillo, ass, aurochs, badger, bandicoot, bassarisk, bat, bear, beaver, bettong, binturong, bison, black bear, black buck, black cat, black fox, black sheep, blue fox, bobcat, broad jumper, brown bear, brush deer, brush wolf, bucking bronco, buckjumper, buffalo, buffalo wolf, burro, burro deer, cachalot, camel, camelopard, capybara, carabao, caribou, carpincho, cat, cat-a-mountain, catamount, cattalo, cavy, chamois, cheetah, chevrotain, chinchilla, chipmunk, cinnamon bear, coon, coon cat, cotton mouse, cotton rat, cougar, cow, coyote, coypu, deer, deer tiger, dingo, dog, donkey, dormouse, dromedary, echidna, eland, elephant, elk, ermine, eyra, fallow deer, ferret, field mouse, fisher, fitch, flea, flying phalanger, foumart, fox, fox squirrel, frog, gazelle, gemsbok, genet, giraffe, glutton, gnu, gnu goat, goat, goat antelope, gopher, grasshopper, grizzly bear, ground squirrel, groundhog, guanaco, guinea pig, hamster, hare, harnessed antelope, hartebeest, hedgehog, high jumper, hippopotamus, hog, hopper, horse, hurdle racer, hurdler, hyena, hyrax, ibex, jackal, jackass, jackrabbit, jaguar, jaguarundi, jerboa, jerboa kangaroo, jumper, jumping bean, jumping jack, kaama, kangaroo mouse, kangaroo rat, karakul, kinkajou, kit fox, koala, lapin, leaper, lemming, leopard, leopard cat, lion, llama, lynx, mammoth, mara, marmot, marten, mastodon, meerkat, mink, mole, mongoose, moose, mouflon, mountain goat, mountain lion, mountain sheep, mouse, mule, mule deer, muntjac, musk deer, musk hog, musk-ox, muskrat, musquash, nilgai, nutria, ocelot, okapi, onager, oont, opossum, otter, ounce, ox, pack rat, painter, panda, pangolin, panther, peccary, peludo, phalanger, pig, pine mouse, platypus, pocket gopher, pocket mouse, pocket rat, polar bear, polar fox, pole vaulter, polecat, porcupine, possum, pouched rat, poyou, prairie dog, prairie wolf, pronghorn, puma, rabbit, raccoon, rat, red deer, red squirrel, reindeer, rhinoceros, roe, roe deer, roebuck, sable, salmon, serval, sheep, shrew, shrew mole, sika, silver fox, skunk, sloth, snowshoe rabbit, springbok, squirrel, stag, stoat, sunfisher, suslik, swamp rabbit, swine, takin, tamandua, tamarin, tapir, tarpan, tatou, tatou peba, tatouay, tiger, tiger cat, timber topper, timber wolf, tree shrew, urus, vaulter, vole, wallaby, warthog, water buffalo, waterbuck, weasel, wharf rat, whistler, white fox, wild ass, wild boar, wild goat, wild ox, wildcat, wildebeest, wolf, wolverine, wombat, wood rat, woodchuck, woolly mammoth, yak, zebra, zebu, zorilROGET THESAURUS
kangaroo
Leap
N leap, jump, hop, spring, bound, vault, saltation, ance, caper, curvet, caracole, gambade, gambado, capriole, demivolt, buck, buck jump, hop skip and jump, falcade, kangaroo, jerboa, chamois, goat, frog, grasshopper, flea, buckjumper, wallaby, leaping, saltatory, frisky, on the light fantastic toe, di salto in salto.For further exploring for "kangaroo" in Webster Dictionary Online