Main Entry:

kan·ga·roo

Pronunciation:

\ˌkaŋ-gə-ˈrü\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural kan·ga·roos

Etymology:

Guugu Yimidhirr (Australian aboriginal language of northern Queensland) gaŋurru

Date:

1770

: any of various herbivorous leaping marsupial mammals (family Macropodidae) of Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands with a small head, large ears, long powerful hind legs, a long thick tail used as a support and in balancing, and rather small forelegs not used in locomotion

[kangaroo illustration]