marsupial

adjective mar·su·pi·al \ mär-ˈsü-pē-əl \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Definition of marsupial

1 : of, relating to, or being a marsupial

2 : of, relating to, or forming a marsupium

Recent Examples of marsupial from the Web

The game is priced nicely, features a jovial, marsupial protagonist with a manic personality, and was an essential part of PlayStation history.

— harold goldberg, chicagotribune.com, "Classic games, lovingly reimagined in 'Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy'," 13 July 2018
The comprehensive study — the best quality marsupial genome sequence to date — was undertaken in order to highlight the importance of conservation and the role genetic diversity plays within that.

— stephanie bedo, Fox News, "The secrets that could save koalas," 4 July 2018
The Tasmanian tiger, known to science as the thylacine, was the only member of its genus of marsupial carnivores to live to modern times.

— brooke jarvis, The New Yorker, "The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger," 16 Jan. 2012
About 23 million years ago in Australia, a marsupial lion lived in the open forest and spent part of its life in trees.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Meet the top 10 new species of 2018," 23 May 2018
Around 23 million years ago, during the late Oligocene era, this marsupial lion roamed in northwestern Queensland, Australia.

— sarah gray, Fortune, "A 62-Ton Tree and Great Ape Have Made the Top 10 New Species List," 23 May 2018
When a deputy arrived at the scene there was indeed a marsupial wandering around rural Palmetto State County.

— kathleen joyce, Fox News, "South Carolina sheriff's office responds to calls of kangaroo sighting: 'I thought dispatch was joking'," 16 May 2018
But the Rescue 11 crew from St. Tammany Parish's Fire District 1 noticed more than just a dead marsupial on Monday morning. (April 2) There were three baby opossums trying to nurse off their dead mother.

— robert rhoden, NOLA.com, "Firefighters rescue baby opossums after call on Possum Hollow Road," 2 Apr. 2018
While making a stop in Australia during his 24K Magic World Tour, Mars cuddled up alongside a koala and shared a few flirty puns that would make any marsupial-lover blush.

— maria pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Bruno Mars Tries Out Some Koala-Themed Pick-Up Lines While Struggling to Keep a Straight Face," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marsupial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of marsupial

borrowed from New Latin marsūpiālis — more at ²marsupial

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1819

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

marsupial

noun

Definition of marsupial

: any of an order (Marsupialia) of mammals comprising kangaroos, wombats, bandicoots, opossums, and related animals that do not develop a true placenta and that usually have a pouch on the abdomen of the female which covers the teats and serves to carry the young

See marsupial defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of marsupial from the Web

This abuse was part of a larger prejudice against marsupials that is sometimes called placental chauvinism.

— brooke jarvis, The New Yorker, "The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger," 16 Jan. 2012
The koala challenges the kangaroo as the most iconic Australian marsupial.

— joel achenbach, Washington Post, "Koala genome shows how the adorable marsupial lives on eucalyptus leaves," 2 July 2018
All told, Australia’s iconic tree-dwelling marsupial is in serious trouble.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Can the Koala Genome Save the Species From Deforestation and Chlamydia?," 2 July 2018
Koalas are some of the most beloved creatures in the animal kingdom—with their soft gray fur and cherubic faces, the marsupials exude enough charm to sustain a $1.1 billion tourism industry in their home country of Australia.

— meilan solly, Smithsonian, "Newly Mapped Koala Genome Unlocks Secrets of Marsupial’s Diet, Susceptibility to Chlamydia," 3 July 2018
Quincy the Queensland koala has been equipped with the latest blood sugar monitor, hopefully quelling a quandary for the diabetic marsupial.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Quincy the San Diego Zoo's diabetic koala, gets help from Dexcom," 25 June 2018
The new species include microbes, plants, animals and even the confirmation of an extinct marsupial, based on its fossil.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Meet the top 10 new species of 2018," 23 May 2018
The changes ban, among other animals, goats, insects, reptiles, snakes, spiders and sugar gliders, which are tiny marsupials that are considered exotic pets.

— catharine hamm, latimes.com, "American Airlines also tightening rules on emotional support animals, it explains on its podcast," 22 May 2018
One pooch found antechinus species in the Scenic Rim, an area that hadn't seen the marsupial since the late 1980s, Baker says.

— kelly murray, CNN, "These Aussie marsupials are having so much sex they are literally killing themselves," 15 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of marsupial

from the base of New Latin Marsupialia, order name, from neuter plural of marsūpiālis "of a pouch," from marsūpium "pouch, marsupium" + -ālis ¹-al

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1805

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

MARSUPIAL Defined for English Language Learners

marsupial

noun

Definition of marsupial for English Language Learners

: a type of animal (such as a kangaroo or an opossum) that carries its babies in a pocket of skin on the mother's stomach

MARSUPIAL Defined for Kids

marsupial

noun mar·su·pi·al \ mär-ˈsü-pē-əl \

Definition of marsupial for Students

: a mammal (as a kangaroo or opossum) that does not develop a true placenta and usually has a pouch on the female's abdomen in which the young develop and are carried

Learn More about marsupial

Spanish Central: Translation of marsupial Nglish: Translation of marsupial for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about marsupial

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marsupial

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marsupial

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